Four Vietnamese men who worked at the factory, at former commercial premises on Quarry Road in Gomersal were recently jailed at Leeds Crown Court.
The men were all found guilty of conspiracy to produce a Class B drug following a trial which began on April 15.
Inside the cannabis factory (Image: WYP) The convicted men, all of Quarry Road, were:
Hoai Le Thanh, 41, who was sentenced to three years, seven months in prison.
Hoa Hoang, 64, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Thanh Le, 37, who was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Khang Nguyen, 29, sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Police from the Batley and Spen Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) executed a warrant at the former bed factory on Friday July 12, 2024.
Officers located cannabis plants worth about £2.4 million inside the building, as well as already cut and prepared cannabis thought to be worth an additional £1 million.
The defendants were arrested in the large-scale operation, taken into police custody, and later charged.
NPT officers executed the warrant after pulling together various pieces of intelligence about a potential cannabis factory at the location and found a sophisticated hydroponics set up inside.
They also found well prepared living quarters established for men operating the farm.
Inspector Charlotte Nicholls of the Batley and Spen NPT, said: “These men were working at a sophisticated operation which was capable of producing cannabis on an industrial scale, and we welcome their conviction and sentencing at court.
“We know that money from drugs production fuels serious organised crime in communities, such as County Lines trafficking and drugs related violent crime, so it is good news that more than £3-million of cannabis produced at this plant was stopped from hitting the streets.”
She added: “‘This large scale case has been, unusually, managed by the neighbourhood team and I would like to give praise to the officer in the case, PC Kalabic, for his hard work and commitment to this complex investigation’.
“I also want to thank partners at the CPS who prosecuted the case at trial, and all those colleagues who worked tirelessly at the site for their hard work and diligence.
“Many thanks also to residents in Batley and Spen who continue to show real community spirit in contacting us with information and intelligence about suspected criminality.”