Three men face sentencing over underground drugs factory

Three men are due to be sentenced on Friday after police uncovered a vast underground drugs operation hidden beneath a farm in Skendleby, near Spilsby.

Nathan Allen, 39, previously of Crowhurst, Werrington in Peterborough, pleaded guilty to possession of an unlicensed firearm, conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and conspiracy to produce cannabis.

Kyle Robinson, 33, of Willoughby Road in Alford, admitted being concerned in the supply of Class B drugs.

And Tony Owen, 36, of Oldbrook Bretton in Peterborough, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.

The investigation - known as Operation Industry - began with intelligence from Spain.

“Spanish authorities and HMRC uncovered a sophisticated underground factory being used for a large-scale tobacco and cannabis production in Spain," said Detective Sergeant Lee Papworth.

Information passed to Lincolnshire Police prompted them to focus on Thorpe Farm, where officers discovered a series of shipping containers buried beneath barns and accessed through concealed hatches.

DS Papworth said what they found was far from a small operation:

“These were all fitted with lights, fans, air filters - everything you could possibly need to grow cannabis on a large commercial scale.”

Officers also uncovered a caravan where Allen had been living with a shotgun, along with motion sensors set up to protect the site.

Outside the bunkers, police found 300 tonnes of illegal waste, stolen cars and neglected animals including horses and a llama.

"'I've been in the force for 10 years and I've not seen anything like this, certainly to this scale," said DS Papworth.

"This one's quite unique in the organisation that it needed and the resources they must have had."

Sentencing is taking place at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday 21st November.