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The extensive criminality was dismantled by police and resulted in the discovery of 100 cannabis farms and the confiscation of plants valued at £21million.
Members of the organised crime gang (OCG) dressed in work overalls and purported to be engineers and dug up roads in Burnley to abstract energy for their cannabis farms.
A Lancashire Police spokesperson said: “Nine men who were part of an organised crime gang (OCG) stretching across the North West have been jailed.
“The OCG’s members dressed in work overalls, purported to be engineers and dug up roads in Burnley to abstract electricity for their cannabis farms.
“We welcome these convictions and will continue to work with North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU) to ensure crime prevention has no borders.”
An investigation, which began in 2023, when North Wales Police received intelligence from residents in Bangor about suspicious activity at a long-abandoned shop on the high street.
Several men had frequently been seen entering and exiting the premises and following further investigations, warrants were executed on 30 January, which led to the seizure of cannabis cultivations worth approximately £1.2million.
Due to extensive modifications to cables and wiring, the building was deemed unsafe and prevented officers from completing their searches.
A utility company later confirmed that the building’s power source had been illegally abstracted from the high street.
After reviewing CCTV footage, they discovered five men working on the high street in a liveried van bearing the company name Elev8.
The footage showed these individuals engaging in activities that appeared to be legitimate utility work.
The company built complex cannabis farms using the power that was rewired (Image: North West Regional Organised Crime Unit)
They wore high visibility clothing and used signage to close roads, making it appear as though they were conducting legitimate work in broad daylight.
Recognising the scale of the suspected operation, North Wales Police enlisted the assistance of NWROCU to further investigate and Operation Spark was launched.
During their enquiries, they discovered one of the men was part of the conspiracy and had previously been arrested by Merseyside Police for unrelated maters.
An analysis of his phone found a WhatsApp chat group named ‘Elev8 Civils & Utilities’, which disclosed their work locations and shared multiple photographs and videos.
Officers were able to evidence that the crime group’s sophisticated operation spanned approximately 32 police force areas from Dundee to Portsmouth.
Detective Chief Inspector Zoe Russo from the NWROCU’s Operation’s Team said:
“This crime group ran a highly sophisticated but dangerous operation, operating out of fake utility vans, which allowed them to work all over the country without raising suspicion.
“In WhatsApp conversations, we uncovered chats where group members sent pictures of injuries they had received ‘on site’ following electrical explosions.
“Andrew Roberts posted a picture of himself with injuries to his face after failing to connect something properly, causing an explosion that resulted in burns. This highlights the dangerous and reckless nature of their activities.
Burns to Andrew Roberts Head (Image: North West Regional Organised Crime Unit)
“In total we uncovered more than 100 cannabis farms, with a potential street value of more than £21m.
“This investigation has dismantled a significant criminal network, preventing a significant amount of drugs from reaching our streets and blighting our communities.
“I hope today’s sentencing sends a clear message that we will not tolerate such organised crime in our communities.”
Using fake company and liveried vehicles to evade suspicion, they dug up pavements to access live mains connections, which they then spliced to run a direct feed to properties that had been earmarked for cannabis cultivation.
In total, officers uncovered more than 100 cannabis farms and seized cannabis plants with a potential street value of up to £21m.
On February 8 2025, a coordinated strike took place across the North West and North East to arrest 10 members of the crime group.
Graham Roberts played a key role in the operation as a skilled jointer responsible for splicing and connecting the live cable to run the new feed to the premises for the intended cannabis production, was jailed for five years and three months.
Michael Ashurst, Greg Black, Lewin Charles, Aiden Durand, and Jack Sherry were all groundworkers for the OCG, responsible for digging up the roads and exposing cables.
Colin White, a former Scottish Power employee, stole equipment from the Liverpool depot to provide the vital caballing equipment they needed to carry out the works.
Another man who passed work to the crime group and is believed to have links with Albanian OCG’s is being sentenced at a later date.
Sentences
Ross McGinn, 33, Midway Road, Huyton, company director – Five years and four month
Andrew Roberts, 42, Bell Lane, Wigan, company director – Six years and two months
Graham Roberts, 47, Royton Close, Wigan, cable jointer – Five years and three months
Michael Ashurst, 34, Saddleback Road, Wigan groundsman – Three years and four months
Greg Black, 29, Brookwood Close, Huyton, groundsman – Three years and nine months
Lewin Charles, 22, Stanhope Drive, Huyton, groundsman – Two years and eight months
Aiden Doran, 28, Ormskirk Road, Wigan, groundsman – Three years
Colin White, 62, Warnerville Road, Liverpool, Scottish Power worker – Two years and five months
Jack Sherry, 20, Keats Avenue, Wigan, groundsman was given a 22 month suspended sentence.
“}]] Nine men who acted as engineers and dug up roads to abstract energy for cannabis farms have been jailed for more than 28 years. Read More
