Three men have been given prison sentences, one of them suspended, for their involvement in a Rainham car theft ring, where one man was also cultivating a cannabis factory.

A judge at Basildon Crown Court handed prison sentences for conspiracy to handle stolen vehicles to ringleader Usman Maqsood, 28, of Richmond Road, Ilford; Ahsan Baloch, 28, of no fixed address; and Perry Strang, 23, of Cowbridge Lane, Barking.

Maqsood received four years plus one for cultivating cannabis, while Baloch was given two and a half, and Strang was given a 12-month sentence suspended for 18 months.

All three men pleaded guilty.

The trio were arrested after raids at Silverline Building in New Road in April 2012. There, police found vehicles and vehicle parts that had been reported stolen, along with the cannabis factory.

A second raid in November found more stolen vehicles and vehicle parts, while the tracker on a stolen Mercedes led officers to a second location – trading company First Hellas’ headquarters at Goldmex House, in Coppen Road, Dagenham. Again, they found vehicles and vehicle parts that had been reported stolen.

In court on September 26, Palestinian national Baloch was also recommended for deportation.

Strang was also given a six-month supervision order, and must complete 250 hours of unpaid work.

Maqsood and Baloch were each ordered to pay a £120 victim surcharge, while Strang was told to pay £100.

Det Const Barry Carter of Havering Police said he was “very pleased” with the sentences.

“The fact [the sentences] are all custodial reflects the inconvenience and upset caused to victims of car theft,” he said. “The emotional trauma of becoming the victim of a crime often has more impact than the loss of property, and I hope these sentences provide a measure of comfort to everyone affected by these criminals.”