Three jailed over £1.3m Earslheaton crystal meth factory

Hoyle Head Mill was home to the largest class A drug lab local police had ever seen, Leeds Crown Court heard today (Friday).

The plan was hatched by Jabbar Hyder, who used the car wash he ran in Bradford Road, Dewsbury, to buy chemicals.

His suppliers, ReAgent, contacted police when they realised the chemicals he bought could be used to make crystal meth.

Police then went to a unit in Earlsheaton which Christian Allday had rented, claiming it would be used to spray cars.

What officers found was an industrial-scale crystal meth factory and drugs that could be sold for thousands of pounds.

Rob Mairs, prosecuting, said: “This was an industrial-scale set-up requiring specialist equipment and involving the use of potentially dangerous chemicals.”

Hyder, 31, of Savile Street, Dewsbury, was sentenced for nine years and six months in prison for conspiracy to produce methylamphetamine, and possessing cannabis and stimulant benzylpiperazine.

Allday, 29, of Rockhall Close, Birstall, was sentenced to seven years, four months, for the same conspiracy charge.

A third man, Thomas Cadden, was locked up for two-and-a-half years for being concerned in the production of class A drugs and possessing a small amount of cannabis.

The court heard Cadden, 21, of Textile Street, Dewsbury, took deliveries of chemicals in the knowledge that they would be used to make drugs. He worked at Hyder’s car wash, Hot Spot.

After the hearing, Det Ch Insp Paul Jeffrey from Kirklees Police said: “The facility set up by Hyder was, we believe, the first of its kind in the Yorkshire and Humber region and had the capacity to flood the streets of our region and other parts of the country with millions of pounds worth of methylamphetamine.

“They were detected thanks to a detailed police investigation with partners and the vigilance of the companies they contacted using their own details to try and order chemicals, allowing us to fortunately put a stop to this scheme before it was able to do really get going.

“I welcome the strong convictions given to these individuals and want to praise the work of specialist officers from Kirklees and elsewhere in the force who worked to unmask this drugs conspiracy and put these individuals behind bars.

“I also hope this case will serve as a warning that West Yorkshire Police are vigilant to crimes of this type and will investigate any form of intelligence about drugs production in our communities.”