A gang used James Bond-style tracking devices to stalk cannabis farmers and steal their lucrative crop.
Scott Calder, 23 - who survived a shooting outside a bingo hall in January - led a gang which targeted illicit harvests across Manchester.
The team carried out surveillance outside a shop in Ardwick selling ‘hydroponics’ equipment used for growing potent skunk.
They planted matchbox-sized GPS ‘trackers’ on customers’ cars to pinpoint their stashes and the best time to steal them. The gang also got tip-offs from other crooks who knew they ‘robbed grows’.
One victim was even taunted by Calder’s fellow ‘director’ Dale Hall ‘that his head would be blown off’ unless he returned the magnetic device they had hidden on his car.
But, in a twist, the thieves were themselves being kept under surveillance and had been bugged by detectives who feared the raids would spark a gang war.
The mob’s hi-tech methods not only revealed the extent of their operation - but also helped police to shut down the illegal cannabis farms.
Now Calder, of Hillbrook Avenue, Moston, and Hall, 29, of no fixed address, have been jailed at Manchester Crown Court for three-and-a-half years and four years respectively.
Ryan Hayes, 26, of Barsdale Avenue, Moston was jailed for 32 months, Paul Andrews, 25, of Pitmore Walk, Moston, three years and nine months, and Jack Biernat, 27, of Thatch Leach, Chadderton, was jailed for three years. Each admitted conspiracy to burgle between March and June.
In March the gang tried to raid an address in Hyde - but were chased off by a farmer with a massive dog. Two days later they raided another grower in Failsworth, escaping with a duvet cover full of weed.
Police bugged Calder’s car and learnt one grower was followed from Ardwick to Sale in alternating cars.
Officers found the thieves were using their own knowledge of growing so they could strike when plants were ‘ready for harvest’.
In April Calder was arrested with a combat knife in his car, but the plot went on. One month later, police found a stolen laptop inside a car used by the crooks and learnt they were using tracking software to watch Newton Heath growers and Vietnamese gangsters in Cheetham Hill.
Adam Watkins, prosecuting, said victims were very unlikely to report the offences - and there was a ‘real danger of serious violence between rival criminal gangs’ instead.
Sentencing, Judge Patrick Field QC said it was a ‘sophisticated and well-planned scheme’.
Detective Constable Wes Knights said: "These men were involved in a criminal plot to 'tax' cannabis farms - in other words, steal the plants from known dealers and farmers and reap the rewards for themselves.
"The indiscriminate nature of their tactics left innocent members of the public at risk, which is something we as a Police service cannot tolerate"
"The theft of cannabis plants, known among the criminal fraternity as 'taxing', is a very dangerous one. Not only does it continue to propagate the market for illegal drugs to be sold and people to suffer serious harm as a result of consuming those drugs, but it creates rivalries and bad blood between gangs that leads to other criminality. All too often, innocent people are caught up in this.
"That is why taking this gang off the streets is a fantastic result not just for GMP, but for people who are fed-up with cannabis dealers operating in their area.
"We have effectively cut out a major supply route for cannabis getting onto our streets and also taken a dangerous group of criminal with access to weapons and tracking devices out of the game. It is a massive good news story for everyone.
"I would urge members of the public to help us in our fight against these dealers. If you suspect cannabis is being grown or dealt in your area, there are some telltale signs to look out for such as houses were the curtains are always closed and is frequented by different people at night, so if you have any suspicious please call us and we will take action."
