THREE men have been jailed for their involvement in a sophisticated cannabis growing operation in Dudley.

Police found 64 plants, capable of producing more than £170,000 of the controlled drug in a year, growing at a rented warehouse unit and all the "trappings of a complicated drug producing set-up," said Stuart Clarkson, prosecuting.

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told K.S. Ltd boss Stuart Pearce, had sub-let the unit because of financial problems and he turned a "blind eye" to the illegal operation.

Pearce, aged 55, of Compton Court, Kinver, admitted allowing his premises to be used for the production of cannabis and he was jailed for 48 weeks.

Adam McNally, aged 36, of Meadowhill Drive, Stourbridge, and 37-year-old Stephen Smith of Roman Road, Warley, both pleaded guilty to producing the class B drug.

Smith was put behind bars for 54 weeks while McNally was sent to prison for 45 weeks.

Mr Clarkson said the electricity supply to the unit had been by-passed to provide power for the heating and automatic watering equipment needed for the plants.

When police officers later searched the home of Smith, they recovered items similar to those found inside the rented unit, while evidence from a string of telephone calls linked all three men.

Gurdeep Garcha, defending Pearce, said he had allowed his premises to be used because he was "driven by money troubles" and due to a downturn in work he had been unable to pay rent on the unit.