A serious organised crime leader who earned millions by running 12 cannabis factories across the south, including in Basingstoke, has been jailed.

Mustafa Oustha, 39, of Harewood Drive, Northolt, was condemned to six years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis and concealing criminal property. 

Sentencing him at Guildford Crown Court on Thursday (March 3), the judge commented that it was “difficult to envisage a more serious case of cannabis production”.

This follows a large-scale investigation into the rental of 12 industrial units across the southeast of England which had been turned into illicit cannabis factories between 2016 and 2021. 

Police discovered multiple factories, both live and abandoned, in locations including Hayes, Wokingham and Basingstoke. 

Andover Advertiser: One of the 12 illicit factories One of the 12 illicit factories

Officers from Surrey first stumbled on the operation in February 2021 when they were notified of a burglary at an industrial unit in Farnham which turned out to be one of the factories used by Oustha to flood the south with the Class B drug.

Enquiries found that he had been renting the units under five different aliases. 

He was arrested by Surrey Police on Thursday, October 21 last year following a warrant, which was conducted at his home address. 

Further warrants were also carried out that day by Thames Valley Police in Bicester and Buckinghamshire, leading to the discovery of two additional live cannabis factories.

The estimated street value of the plants grown was around £6million. 

When interviewed by police, Oustha admitted to renting out the units but insisted he had no knowledge of what they were being used for. 

At his home address, officers discovered items which showed the “lavish” lifestyle Oustha was living. Around £23,700 cash was found hidden around the house, as well as 18 high-value watches worth an estimated total of £500,000.

Oustha also had two luxury cars and had purchased properties in the UK and abroad.

Delivering the sentence today, the Judge described how Oustha had “led the high life” due to his criminal activity.

As part of his sentence, Oustha was also given a Serious Crime Prevention Order, with conditions including not being able to own more than one mobile phone.

Andover Advertiser: One of the 12 illicit factories One of the 12 illicit factories

PC Kathryn Sandys, who investigated the case, said: “Mustafa Oustha really believed he was above the law, orchestrating this huge illegal business to grow cannabis in vast quantities. He made attempts to disguise his identity using false names and fake businesses, before posing as a legitimate businessman seeking to rent out industrial units.

“His activity caused huge financial costs to those he rented these buildings from, with the set up and equipment causing significant damage to each location. Not only this but some of the locations were also burgled, bringing more crime to the area in which the cannabis factories were set up.

“His arrest and charge were as a result of an investigation into the rental of the locations by Oustha, and this goes to show that drugs will not be tolerated in Surrey. We rely on intelligence from the public in tackling criminality and we are committed to taking positive action against drug activity in Surrey.”