An Angus farmer had a shotgun held to his neck after a £145,000 cannabis factory was secretly set up in a building on his land, a court was told.
The massive cultivation in a shed at Birkenbush Farm, by Forfar, contained more than 300 plants powered by generators running 24 hours a day.
Manny Naveed and Alan Fraser from Motherwell had rented the large shed for £600 a month after farmers Derek Greenhill Sr and his son Derek Jr placed a classified advert in a farming trade paper.
Christopher Paul from Monikie sourced and paid for the generator for the large-scale cultivation, which measured 1,800 square feet.
The three men, who attended the cultivation hundreds of times, will be sent to the High Court after a sheriff told them his maximum five-year jail sentencing powers were not sufficient.
A DVD of the cultivation filmed after it was raided by police last January showing hundreds of 3ft to 4ft plants was shown to Dundee Sheriff Court on Monday.
A trial heard that around Christmas 2012 Naveed met Mr Greenhill Jr at his office cabin on the farm and said the shed had been broken into and accused him of breaking into it.
A few days later Mr Greenhill Jr was in the cabin when three unknown men came into his office.
One of the men pulled out a double-barrelled shotgun and held it to the farmer’s neck, saying his “pal’s shed had been broken into” and he had “better not go to the police”.
The man told Mr Greenhill Jr: “It’ll be gone by mid-January.”
Naveed, 32, The Loaning, Motherwell; Fraser, 52, O’Wood Avenue, Motherwell; and Paul, 41, Market Pend, Monikie; all admitted producing cannabis and being concerned in the supply of cannabis between June 1 2012 and January 19 2013.
Depute fiscal Nicola Gillespie told the court that the cultivation contained 304 plants with an estimated illicit value between £48,640 and £145,920.
She said: “Mounted upon the walls at regular levels were six power boards comprising a junction box servicing 28 three-pin plug sockets. Each junction operated on a 24-hour timer switch built to that unit.”
Fraser’s solicitor, Gerard Devaney, said: “This was someone who was more a foot soldier than taking a significant management role.”
“He was not involved in setting up the operation but it is conceded that he was a regular at the farm premises and he was aware what was going on.”
Michael Gallagher, for Naveed, said: “His job was no more and no less than being a gardener.”
Paul’s solicitor Nick Markowski said his client had been to the farm 30 or 40 times for illegitimate reasons adding: “His position is he never entered the shed but looked to see if it was secure. He never knew what was there.”
Following three hours of submissions from all three defence agents, Sheriff Alastair Brown remitted the case to the High Court for sentencing and remanded all three men in custody.
He said: “The question is whether my powers of sentence are sufficient to deal with this or if I have to remit to the High Court.
“There was a lease signed here and Mr Naveed was involved in that. Evidence has been led about the presentation of a shotgun at Mr Greenhill Jr.
“That tells me something about the nature of the operation that they were part of. I’m satisfied that for Mr Naveed his position is not adequately described as being at the lowest, base level as just a gardener.
“It follows that the starting point for him would be sufficiently in excess of my powers that I can’t appropriately deal with them.”