A man has been jailed following the discovery of a cannabis factory in East Molesey last month.

Thanh Van Phan, 24, of no fixed address, had pleaded guilty to charges of being concerned in the production of class B drugs and entering the UK illegally.

He was given a 20-month jail sentence at Guilford Crown Court on Friday, July 10.

The completion of the jail term will be followed by a recommendation for deportation.

Phan was arrested during execution of a drugs warrant at a residential address in Ember Farm Way, East Molesey, on Wednesday June 3, just days before the launch of National Tackling Drugs Week.

Police found more than 400 cannabis plants at the address.

Acting Detective Inspector Maxine Cilia, of north Surrey tactical CID, said: “I am pleased at the sentence, which sends out a strong message that the production of drugs in north Surrey will not be tolerated.

“The arrest and charging of Phan came as a result of proactive work by a number of teams at north Surrey Police and has led to this positive outcome.

“We will continue to take robust action to tackle drugs and the production of drugs in north Surrey and I would urge anyone with any information about possible drug related activity in their area to contact Surrey Police.”

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