Gang used drones to find and steal cannabis grows

A gang who used drones to find cannabis grows and then stole them in violent raids have been jailed.

The group were caught when police were called to suspicious behaviour at a house in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire in May 2024.

Analysis of seized mobile phones showed "scouts" used drones with heat-seeking cameras to find grows, then teams were assembled in London to take the crop.

At Nottingham Crown Court, four men who admitted conspiracy to commit robbery and another two who were convicted of the same charge, were given sentences ranging from two years and four months to five years.

Police said they were alerted to the gang after a man in a balaclava was seen climbing into a property in Birding Street in May 2024.

As officers arrived, one of a number of cars parked outside was driven off at speed.

It was stopped later that day after a pursuit in Northamptonshire and two occupants, Andrew Thomas and Donnell Quarry, were arrested.

Inside the house, police found other intruders, a knife and a cannabis farm with more than 250 plants.

Dichrije Elliel, Khalid Omar and Galom Yackobi were found in the bathroom.

Yackobi tried to escape by jumping from the window but suffered a broken wrist and was detained by officers.

A further man, Addil Elmi, tried to run from the property but was also arrested.

A Mercedes outside the property was found to have travelled from the London area to Mansfield, police said, and chat messages had been sent by the gang while travelling and in the house.

The court heard the gang had been told about a number of potential targets in Nottinghamshire but had selected the terraced house.

A man who was tending the crop, whose case was dealt with separately, had a knife held to his throat as the group moved into the property.

Recorder Penelope Stanistreet-Keen said: "Organised crime isn't always the shadowy professional figures portrayed by fiction.

"It can be a group of young men who get together to travel to a town to steal cannabis plants thinking they can make easy money."

But she also said to the defendants: "You are not the gangsters you think you are....there is clearly more to you than just this offence" and she hoped the sentences would mean they could "see the light at the end of the tunnel".

Det Sgt Rachel Mayfield, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: "We know the cultivation of cannabis can cause huge issues for communities and this case demonstrates how it can bring organised criminals to your doorstep.

"The residents on the street were understandably extremely concerned by what happened that night and I hope they are at least comforted by our response and the sentences handed down.

"We will not tolerate dangerous criminals like this gang travelling from elsewhere in the country to our communities and I hope this sends a strong message that they can expect to be met with a robust response from the force."

Dichrije Elliel, 26, of Tanners Mews, London, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and aggravated burglary and sentenced to five years in jail.

• Andrew Thomas, 25, of Campbell Square, Northampton, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit robbery and admitted dangerous driving. He was sentenced to three years and six months in prison and disqualified from driving for 18 and a half months.
• Donnell Quarry, 25, of Langston Hughes Close, London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and was sentenced to four years and eight months.
• Addil Elmi, of Buchan Road, London, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and was sentenced to four years and eight months, reduced to three years and three months due to time served.
• Khalid Omar, 24, of Montague Road, Uxbridge, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and was sentenced to three years and four months.
• Gakom Yackobi, 20, of Brambles Farm Drive, Uxbridge, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit robbery and was sentenced to two years and four months.

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