TWO men have both been jailed for nearly two years for running a cannabis farm in the top floor of a barn on the outskirts of Ross.

West Mercia Police officers who raided the building at Phocle Green Farm in 2020 found 353 cannabis plants, alongside 4.4kg of harvested ‘skunk’ with a street value of up to £39,000.

Sentencing the duo at Worcester Crown court, Judge James Burbidge said both men, who are from Birmingham, played a significant role in the operation.

The court heard that Luke Arnold had used a fake name on documents to rent the building. And a search of Jack Thompson’s home later uncovered 24 more cannabis plants being grown.

Both men also had cash in their possesion – Thompson £1,155 and Arnold £530.

The judge labelled the barn set-up at Phocle Green a “commercial cannabis factory” that was “sophisticated, planned and well-organised”.

Thompson, 34, St Denis Road, Birmingham was jailed for 21 months for two counts of growing the class B drug cannabis and one of possessing the cash as criminal property. Arnold, 37, of Fellows Lane, Birmingham, was also jailed for 21 months for producing cannabis and possessing criminal property.

Thompson’s barrister told the court he was a carer for his daughter while his grandmother was on end-of-life care, and he had no previous convictions.

Lucy Taylor said Arnold had no relevant or recent convictions, had started up a tyre recycling business and “looked after his son who has mild autism”.

But the duo were told by the judge the offences were so serious he would have to jail them.