A MAN involved in the setting up of a cannabis factory near Knutsford has been jailed for six years.

Anthony Hilton, 43, of Worsley, Manchester, pleaded guilty to four charges of money laundering and one charge of fraud in relation to the discovery of the cannabis farm in Mereside Road in Mere in September 2009.

He also admitted to charges of conspiracy to produce cannabis in Ilkley, Uttoxeter and St Asaph and two charges of fraud and one of theft in relation to a Manchester-based case.

He was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on Friday, June 3.

Myles Wilson, prosecuting, told the court Hilton arranged the rental of the home in Mere – using forged documents – with a Wilmslow-based estate agents in May 2009.

When he visited the property he was with two Asian men and according to the agent, Hilton was the one ‘doing all the talking’.

The cannabis farm, believed to be run by a Vietnamese gang, was discovered by officers from Knutsford police station in the autumn of 2009.

Three more homes in Cheshire – in Siddington, Nether Alderley and Chester – were also rented out by Hilton using the same forged documents, but the court was told he had no idea the homes were to be used as cannabis factories.

Mr Wilson added that the two counts of fraud and one of theft in Manchester related to the purchase of prestige cars.

Mr Watkins, defending, said his client – who had no previous convictions – admitted to setting up the seven cannabis properties but was unaware what they were going to be used for.

He said the money earned from the transactions did not fund a lavish lifestyle and went some way to pay off his personal debts.

“He feels he has let down those close to him and he is worried about losing his reputation,” he said.

Judge Thomas Teague, sentencing, said: “You were acting as a go-between and were accompanied by two other men but you did all the talking.

“You liaised with the letting agent and collected the keys. You were not the main organiser, but you did play a vital organising role albeit not at the highest level.”

Hilton was given 28 months for the Cheshire offence, 32 months for the Ilkley charge and 12 months for the Manchester count, with the terms to run consecutively.