Family ordered to pay back over £1million from cannabis farm
The £4.9million cannabis operation was disrupted by police
A family in Carmarthenshire has been ordered to pay back more than £1million of their profits from a large-scale cannabis operation uncovered by police.
Husband and wife Edward McCann, 65, and Linda McCann, 63, along with their son Daniel, 40, appeared at Swansea Crown Court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing today.
The McCann family ran a sophisticated cannabis factory in Blaenllain, near Whitland, producing cannabis products estimated to be worth £4.9million over five years.
Dyfed-Powys Police disrupted the operation on 23rd October 2020 after executing a warrant at the isolated property.
Inside the barn, officers discovered six rooms equipped with ventilation systems and growing lights, containing 202 cannabis plants at various stages of growth.
Upstairs, industrial ovens and drying equipment were used for processing cannabis into resin, oil, and herbal products. Police estimated the upstairs products alone were worth up to £1.5million.
Linda McCann and two others were arrested at the barn, while Edward McCann was found in a neighbouring house with £10,000 in cash bundles and cannabis-infused chocolate.
Daniel McCann, the property owner, was arrested months later in Portsmouth and connected to the operation.
All three were sentenced to prison for conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis between 2015 and 2020 and possessing criminal property.
Following financial investigations, Swansea Crown Court determined that the family must repay £1,091,330.61. Assets being handed over include two properties, luxury vehicles such as Mercedes and Harley-Davidsons, and jewellery.
Detective Sergeant Owen Lock of Dyfed-Powys Police said this serves as a message that families cannot profit from crime.
“This operation remains one of the force’s largest warrants to date,” added Detective Chief Inspector Rhys Jones, credited with overseeing the investigation.