Plumber helps bring cannabis farmer to justice after finding drugs worth £413,000

Police were called by the plumber to a house in North Brink, Wisbech at 11.20am on 29 June after he visited the house with the letting agent to carry out a boiler service.

The pair entered the house where they spotted what they thought was soil in black bags in the utility room, cannabis plants up to six foot tall and a man tending to the plants.

Officers arrived and arrested Thamh Pham, 24, after he opened the door to greet them.

In police interview Pham, of no fixed address, answered “no comment” to all questions asked by officers.

A total of 492 cannabis plants were seized and examined and found to have a street value of up to £413,280.

A large self-seal vacuum bag was also found which contained the flowering tops of a cannabis plant worth up to £7,100. Further flowering tops were found elsewhere in the house worth up to £110.

Pham was charged with one count of producing a class B drug and admitted the offence at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court on 1 July.

He was sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court yesterday (26 August) where he was handed eight months in prison.

DC Rhian Jones, who investigated, said: “As a result of the call from the plumber who visited the Wisbech house, we were able to seize a large amount of class B drugs and stop them from being sold on the streets.

“A second man was also arrested at the house but later released, offered emergency accommodation and safeguarded as he was found to be a victim of human trafficking. Alongside seizing drugs, this is exactly why we target cannabis factories across the county.

“We can’t be everywhere and we rely on people in our communities being our eyes and ears. If something doesn’t seem quite right, it more than likely isn’t.

“We would encourage people to look out for signs of illegal cannabis factories in their communities. Signs could include blacked out windows, people coming and going at various times of the day and noticing a distinctive ‘hum’ noise from the fans and ventilation if living nearby.

“In addition, being able to recognise the signs of modern slavery may help save someone’s life.

“Warning signs include people seeming overly tired, withdrawn or avoiding eye contact, not having suitable equipment or clothing for the job they are doing, not being able to come and go as they wish, being unpaid or paid very little and working excessively long or unusual hours.”