TWO men and a women are awaiting sentence over a Blackburn cannabis farm capable of producing crops of up to £55,000 at a time.

Detectives also found four-and-a-half killos of the drug when they raided a house in Wellfield Road, on July 10 last year, Preston Crown Court was told.

Inside the upstairs bedrooms and loft space, 110 plants were found, which were capable of delivering cannabis with a street value of £55,000 when broken down into deals, the court heard.

But once the Blackburn operation had been dismantled, said Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC, it appeared that the enterprise was moved to another address, at The Sheddings in Bolton.

Seizures were made of 200 cannabis cuttings, five propagators, scales and plastic zip bags, the court heard.

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Police later arrested Quy Nguyen, 57, and Tan Vo, 55, at the Bolton house, and also detained a third man, Thuan Tran, 66, at a third property in Somerset Road, Bolton.

Michael Goldwater, prosecuting, said letting agents for the Blackburn house believed the house was being rented out to a John Wing and an official recalled seeing a Toyota car when the property was occupied.

This car was later found abandoned by police, strongly smelling of cannabis. A bank transfer form in the names of Nguyen, Vo and Tran was found inside, the court heard.

Mr Goldwater said that CCTV checks with a local post office had also shown Vo paying a council tax bill for the Wellfield Road house.

Nguyen, in company with Vo, was also spotted topping up a mobile phone at the same shop, he added.

Nguyen and Vo, formerly of Wellfield Road but now of The Sheddings, and Tran, of Somerset Road, each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis.

Tran also pleaded guilty to possession of two kilos of cannabis leaves.

Defence counsel Joe Boyd said that the drug was brewed by his client as a tea to alleviate the symptoms of chronic arthritis, with which he suffered.

All were remanded in custody until today to determine when they would finally be sentenced.