![Mustafa Oustha has been jailed for more than six years [SWNS]](/resources/images/13569128.jpg?type=mds-article-962)
A high flying drug lord who earned millions by growing vast quantities of cannabis in the UK has been jailed.
Mustafa Oustha was growing £6 million worth of marijuana plants in 12 industrial units across the South East of England, including in Buckinghamshire, to fund his lavish lifestyle.
The 39-year-old had been renting units under five different aliases to throw people off the scent, while investing his dirty money in luxury cars and properties abroad.
But police caught a whiff of his illegal operation after a burglary was reported at an industrial estate in Farnham which turned out to be a large cannabis factory.
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Oustha was arrested at his home in Northolt, West London on 21 October last year, where officers discovered £23,700 in cash hidden around the property.
They also found a collection of 18 luxury watches worth an estimated half a million pounds, two luxury cars and a portfolio of properties, in the UK and abroad.
Two more cannabis factories were discovered after police raided addresses in Bicester and in Bucks.
When questioned, Oustha admitted renting the units but claimed he had no idea what they were being used for.
PC Kathryn Sandys said: "Mustafa Oustha really believed he was above the law, orchestrating this huge illegal business to grow cannabis in vast quantities.
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"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."
Another cannabis factory run by Oustha was discovered in Aldershot last November after he had been charged and remanded into custody.
In total 12 factories, both live and abandoned, were discovered in locations including Hayes, Wokingham and Basingstoke, since 2016.
Oustha of Harewood Drive, Northolt, was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis and concealing criminal property at Guildford Crown Court.
Before sentencing, the judge said it was “difficult to envisage a more serious case of production of cannabis.”
Oustha was also given a Serious Crime Prevention Order, with conditions including not being able to own more than one mobile phone.
PC Sandys said: “His activity caused huge financial costs to those he rented these buildings from, with the setup 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.”
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