Operation Costello uncovers illegal cannabis operations linked to local estate agencyAuthor: Grace McGachy Published 3 hours agoFive people have been convicted of more than 23 offences, after Bedfordshire Police uncovered a network of cannabis factories across the county.The investigation focused on Condor Estates, an estate agency company found to be linked to 20 cannabis factories.Sarfraz Farooq, 46, who served as the director of Condor Estates, was implicated in renting properties for use as cannabis factories. The inquiry revealed fraudulent documentation was employed to facilitate tenancy agreements for these illegal operations. Accomplices included Uan Gogu, 42, Zohaib Riaz Ali, 33, Mohammed Farooq, 76, and Glentjan Sefaj, 29, all involved in various aspects of setting up and maintaining the cannabis factories. Guilty VerdictsSarfraz Farooq, Zohaib Riaz Ali, and Mohammed Farooq were collectively found guilty of 17 offenses after a trial. Charges ranged from conspiracy to produce controlled drugs to money laundering. Uan Gogu and Glentjan Sefaj admitted to their roles, including sourcing equipment and performing gardening works at the cannabis sites.Detective Sergeant Tracey Joyce highlighted the continued effort of Operation Costello in combatting organised crime: “We are continuing to crackdown on organised criminal networks, and these five men are the latest to be dealt with by the courts as part of our ongoing commitment to clamp down on those who enable large scale drug production.“Operation Costello takes a strong approach to tackling organised crime by targeting everyone involved, from those running large scale illegal cannabis cultivation, to the professional enablers who support criminal groups by supplying materials or allowing their premises to be used, and make financial gain from it. “Professional enablers are individuals who help facilitate organised crime groups, such as estate agents who locate properties for use for cannabis factories, those who create fraudulent documentation and money launderers. “Organised crime and cannabis cultivation has a huge impact on the community, and underpins much of the antisocial behaviour and serious violence we seen in our neighbourhoods. “We need the community to partner with us on this goal by reporting what they see and spotting the signs of a cannabis factory. Signs include strong odours, covered windows, condensation.”Sentencing for the five convicted men is scheduled for 10th September. Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.
Estate agent among five men jailed over Bedfordshire cannabis factory network
