Eight Sentenced in Major UK Cannabis Farm Electricity Diversion Scheme

Criminal group used false pretenses to supply power for illegal cannabis cultivation across the UK.

A Liverpool court has sentenced eight individuals involved in a coordinated operation that diverted electricity to cannabis farms under the guise of being utility workers.

The group employed a legitimate company, Elev8 Civils and Utilities Ltd, to create a façade while they illegally extracted power from the electrical mains, enabling organized crime operations related to cannabis cultivation across various regions of the UK, including significant activity connected to Albanian crime syndicates.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reported that the operation spanned over three years, involving 54 separate incidents of illegal electricity diversion.

The total financial impact of their actions amounted to an extraction of £253,980 worth of electricity, which facilitated the production of cannabis estimated at a street value of approximately £7 million.

During the trial, the court learned that the defendants used company-branded vehicles to pose as legitimate utility workers.

They cordoned off sections of roads, excavated pavements, and tampered with electrical cables to establish direct power feeds to the locations where cannabis was being cultivated.

All eight individuals pleaded guilty to charges including encouraging or assisting an offence and conspiracy to abstract electricity.

The three men receiving the longest sentences were identified as Ross McGinn, 33, from Merseyside, and brothers Andrew and Graham Roberts, aged 42 and 47, respectively, from Wigan.

McGinn received a sentence of five years and four months, while Andrew Roberts received the most severe penalty of six years in prison.

Both were also found guilty of conspiracy to steal.

Graham Roberts, described as a skilled tradesman and crucial to the operational aspects of the scheme, assisted in the physical installation of the altered electricity feed.

Other members of the group, some posing as groundsmen, contributed to maintaining the appearance of legitimacy in their operations.

The group utilized messaging applications like WhatsApp for coordinating their activities, often maintaining a visible presence and wearing high-visibility clothing to further allay suspicion.

The CPS’s Mersey-Cheshire’s Complex Casework Unit emphasized the group’s significant role in facilitating organized crime's cannabis operations throughout the United Kingdom.

James Allison, a senior crown prosecutor, remarked on the deceptive nature of their activities, noting the potential dangers associated with their methods which were deemed poor and hazardous by a professional electrical inspector.

The broader law enforcement effort involved multiple police forces across England, Scotland, and Wales, including the Metropolitan Police and regional forces such as Avon and Somerset, Durham, and others.

Two additional members of the group remain awaiting sentencing as the investigation continues to shed light on the scale of these illicit operations.