Four men jailed after discovery of cannabis farm in Blackpool

Tuesday, 19 August 2025 20:18

By Central Radio News

Four men have been jailed following the discovery of a cannabis farm in Blackpool.

The sophisticated growing set-up included lights, fans and ventilation systems, and was spread over two floors of an industrial unit in Squires Gate Lane.

Thousands of plants and seedlings were found, with a potential street value of £200,000.

Officers stopped a van which was suspected to be involved in transporting cannabis, near the unit at 3.50pm on Saturday November 30th last year.

Driving the van was Ziming Guo, with Guoxi Wang the passenger. Both were arrested.

The industrial unit was subsequently searched, with cannabis plants (pictured below) found in five rooms on two floors.

The electricity supply had been bypassed to power the lighting and ventilation systems.

Long Wen and Wenjun Chen were found inside the industrial unit and arrested.

All four men were charged with production of a Class B controlled drug and were remanded to prison to await court proceedings.

Enquiries found that Wang and Guo were higher up the chain and instrumental in the operation of the cannabis farm.

The four men appeared at Preston Crown Court for sentence earlier this month (7th August).

Guoxi Wang, 61, (pictured top left) of no fixed address, was jailed for six years and three months.

Ziming Guo, 45, (pictured top right) of no fixed address, was jailed for four years and two months.

Long Wen, 41, (pictured bottom left) of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and six months.

Wenjun Chen, 36, (pictured bottom right) of no fixed address, was jailed for two years.

All pleaded guilty to production of a Class B controlled drug.

Op Warrior is Lancashire Police's response to tackling serious and organised crime in Lancashire, supported by Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw.

It aims to target the individuals and gangs involved in crime, as well as associated issues such as violence and intimidation, large scale drug supply, exploitation, and fraud, all of which can cause serious harm to local communities.