An estate agency director who used landlords’ properties to help operate 19 cannabis factories has received a prison sentence of more than eight years.
Sarfraz Farooq, 46, director of Luton-based Condor Estates, used properties belonging to genuine landlords who believed the agency was legitimately letting their homes.
Instead, the criminal network turned the properties into cannabis factories.
Farooq created fraudulent documentation, including false tenancy agreements for properties used to grow cannabis. He gave landlords what they believed were genuine tenancy agreements and continued making rental payments.
Bedfordshire Police’s Operation Costello team uncovered the operation. Its investigation identified links to cannabis cultivation, fraudulent tenancy documents, hydroponic equipment and money laundering.
Police raided 20 properties in 2024 – 19 in Luton and one in Milton Keynes.
Officers discovered cannabis factories at 19 of them and growing equipment at the remaining property.
They seized almost 2,000 cannabis plants with an estimated value of up to £800,000.
Police estimate the properties could have produced cannabis worth more than £2m over 12 months if the operation had continued.
Police said Farooq operated at the forefront of the network.
Another man, Uan Gogu, 42, played a central role in setting up the factories. He used properties connected to Farooq and arranged the installation of specialist hydroponic equipment.
Gogu also helped bypass electricity meters. Police said this created significant safety risks and caused fires at three properties.
Other members of the network helped purchase cultivation equipment and property.
Zohaib Riaz Ali, 33, assisted by purchasing hydroponic equipment. Mohammed Farooq, 76, bought a property with cash which later operated as a cannabis factory.
Luton Crown Court sentenced five men on 10 September.
The court handed Sarfraz Farooq, of St Catherines Avenue, Luton, eight years and four months in prison for his role in the cannabis conspiracy and related fraudulent activity.
The court also disqualified him from acting as a company director for 10 years.
Uan Gogu, of Ashcroft Road, Luton, received a six-and-a-half-year prison sentence for conspiracy offences and possession relating to the cannabis factories.
The court gave Ali, of Biscot Road, Luton, a four-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, for intentionally encouraging the offence.
Glentjan Sefaj, 29, of Latimer Drive, Hornchurch, received an eight-month sentence, suspended for 18 months, for conspiracy.
Mohammed Farooq, of St Catherines Avenue, Luton, received a nine-month sentence, suspended for 12 months, for his role in money laundering.
Detective Chief Inspector Simon Mullan, from Operation Costello, said: “These sentences represent a significant result against an organised criminal network that was operating cannabis factories on an industrial scale across our county.
“Drug dealing goes far beyond street dealers. Behind what the public sees, this type of high-level criminality relies on a network of individuals carrying out different roles, from sourcing properties and producing fraudulent documentation to supplying specialist equipment and maintaining cultivation sites.
“But the impact and dangers of these factories go beyond the growth of cannabis plants. Behind this network are victims who had their homes destroyed and left in a state of disrepair.
“Operation Costello is committed to identifying and disrupting every part of the organised crime chain, including those who enable criminal activity for financial gain.”
Mullan also urged residents to report suspicious activity. He said apparent anti-social behaviour can sometimes indicate wider organised criminal activity.
