Six men – including two from Havering – were jailed in connection with a burglary at a cannabis factory.

Nicky Sherman, 27, a mechanic from Slewins Close, Hornchurch, and Daniel Kelleher, 25, unemployed from Dartfields, Romford were among a group of six sentenced for one count of conspiracy to burgle and one count of conspiracy to supply cannabis at Chelmsford Crown Court on Wednesday of last week.

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Police were initially contacted shortly after midday on December 9 2010, following reports of the discovery of a cannabis factory at an industrial unit at Redhills Road in South Woodham Ferrers, near Chelmsford.

Thieves had broken through the roof of the warehouse and stolen approximately �2m worth of cannabis – about 6,000 plants.

Sherman was sentenced to five years in prison and Kelleher for two years and three months.

They were sentenced alongside four others: Deco Mohamoud, of Wellington Road, West Ham, Khadar Yussef of Bridge Road, Stratford, Anthony Morrisson, from Olive Road Plaistow and Mohamed Ibrahim from William Morley Close, Plaistow.

All six had pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to burgle and one count of conspiracy to supply cannabis at earlier hearings.

Morrisson was jailed for four and a half years, Sherman for five years, Mohamoud for three years, Yussef for two years, Ibrahim for two and a half years and Kelleher for two years and three months.

DCI Mark Hall, of Essex Police, said: “This has been a complex and protracted investigation.

“The damage done by drugs in our communities and the human cost to those exploited by organised criminal gangs should not be underestimated.

“We continue to work with all our communities and partner agencies to ensure such individuals are brought to justice.”