Jail for Cannabis grower

A man who grewcannabis at his Blidworth home – despite living nextto a police station – has been told he will have to pay back nearly £23,000. Darren Pilmore was found growing cannabis plants on two separate occasions last year. He was jailed for 15 months after pleading guilty to three counts of producing cannabis as well as one count of fraud, after claiming he was employed to secure a loan.

At a hearingat Nottingham Crown Court today Pilmore was ordered to payback the money under the Proceeds of Crime Act due to the profits he would have made from growing cannabis. Pilmore wasoriginally arrested in February 2011 after police found 18 cannabis plants growingin a wooden summer house in his garden.

The outbuildinghad been modified to include high intensity lighting, heating, venting and awatering system in order to grow the Class B drug. Pilmore was released on bail but was arrested again two months later when officers carriedout a second raid and found a further 61 cannabis plants in the summer house.