Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Saturday 26th April 2025 at 07:00hrs
Three men have been jailed for their involvement in a sophisticated, multi-million pound cannabis cultivation operation uncovered by police in Harehills, Leeds.
The convictions are a significant result of the ongoing ‘CommUnity Harehills’ project, an initiative launched in March 2023 to tackle organised crime in the area.
The investigation, led by the Leeds East Neighbourhood Policing Team, exposed a network of 75 cannabis farms established within residential properties. These illicit operations were found to have produced cannabis with an estimated street value exceeding £4.5 million.
Over a series of targeted raids across Harehills, officers successfully seized a staggering 7,636 cannabis plants, totaling 458 kilograms of the illegal drug.
The three men sentenced played a crucial role in facilitating the extensive operation through property management companies. These companies, under their control, secured properties from unsuspecting landlords under the guise of legitimate management services.
However, instead of managing the properties as agreed, they were instead handed over to members of an organised crime group to establish and maintain large-scale cannabis grows.
This criminal enterprise was identified as part of the proactive work undertaken by the Leeds East Neighbourhood Policing Team under ‘CommUnity Harehills’.
This wide-reaching initiative is based on the Home Office’s ‘Clear, Hold, Build’ tactic, which aims to disrupt criminal activity, secure the area, and then work with the community to build long-term resilience against crime.
The successful prosecution of these individuals highlights the effectiveness of the ‘CommUnity Harehills’ project in dismantling organised crime networks operating within the area.
Police have reiterated their commitment to continuing this work to make Harehills a safer place for its residents.
At a hearing at Leeds Crown Court in January this year, Mirel Neatu, Marius Nedelcu, and Seyan Debnath pleaded guilty to an alternative charge of permitting premises to be used for the production of a controlled drug contrary to Section 8a of the Misuse of Drugs Act in relation to some of the properties involved.
No evidence was offered against the fourth defendant and he was acquitted.
Enquiries had shown the involvement of the three men and their links to each other’s business.
Officers, who worked in partnership with Leeds City Council’s Rogue Landlord Unit during the operation, also seized £14,000 at Debnath’s address and a confiscation order is being sought to recover it as the proceeds of crime.
The men were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.
Neatu, aged 37, of Brackenwood Drive, Leeds, was sentenced to 32 months in prison; Nedelcu, aged 40, of Signet Square, Coventry, was jailed for 28 months; and Debnath, aged 48, of Lupton Avenue, Leeds, was given a suspended 21-month prison term, with 300 hours of unpaid work and a 12-week night-time curfew.
Inspector Alastair Nicholls, who heads the Leeds East NPT, said: “The large-scale production of cannabis by organised crime groups in residential properties in Harehills is an issue that fuels wider crime and anti-social behaviour in the area and is something we have had significant success in tackling since the CommUnity Harehills project was launched two years ago.
“These men have been convicted over their roles in providing properties for crime gangs who were producing millions of pounds worth of the drug on an industrial scale. These activities also caused substantial financial loss to the legitimate landlords who had to repair their properties from the extensive damage caused.
“We painstakingly built up an evidential picture of the involvement of these men as part of an operation that will have dealt a significant blow to this criminal trade that impacts negatively on the local community.
“We hope this latest success will provide some reassurance to the people in the community and also send a clear message to those involved in this type of crime that Harehills is not somewhere where they can commit these offences without facing the consequences.
“Under the CommUnity Harehills initiative, we will be continuing to work closely alongside our partner agencies to ruthlessly pursue and disrupt all forms of criminality which cause harm in the local community.”
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