Teenager admits role at huge Rushden cannabis factory

A teenager caught hiding in cannabis plants worth about £150,000 in Rushden has admitted his role in the drug factory.

Thong Guyen, no fixed address, was found by the East Northants police team when they raided a terraced house in Pratt Road at about 8.30am on June 19.

Guyen, a Vietnamese national, was caught just one day after he turned 18 and taken into custody.

At Northampton Magistrates' Court he admitted producing cannabis and was remanded in custody ahead of his sentencing at Northampton Crown Court next month.

The Northants Telegraph was given exclusive access inside the grow-house before it was dismantled.

Between 200 and 300 plants were found across six rooms spanning three storeys.

Just the kitchen, bathroom and one tiny bedroom were not being used to grow drugs with notes left on the wall, seemingly providing instructions.

The plants were just weeks away from harvest with buds starting to form. It's believed it may have been the plants' second crop.

Speaking on the day of the raid, Sergeant Leigh Francoise Goodwin said: "It's a big issue for us and we have a lot in Rushden.

"No sooner as we shut one down we find the next one to work on.

"It's the work of an organised crime group that are feeding the habits of Rushden and the surrounding area."

Northamptonshire Police have raided 10 cannabis factories in the past fortnight alone.

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