Nwicker60
31-Mar-12, 09:14
Torture and drug-making in a village called Big Trouble
A FOREIGN court has been hearing of how an investigation into the abduction and torture of a Wick man, led police to one of the largest cannabis farms in Europe in a village called Big Trouble.
Five Britons are accused of abducting James Ross and keeping him captive in a remote location in the Algarve region for 13 days, during which he was tortured. It is also alleged there was an attempt to murder him by driving a car with him inside, into a reservoir.
Police witnesses told the court at Loule Court, in Portugal, on the second day of the trial, that one of the accused helped police locate the huge drug plantation in Sarilhos Grandes, Montijo. Officers discovered rows of cannabis and a sophisticated system for growing the drug using fans fertilisers dehumidifiers and carbondioxide cylinders. Items belonging to Steven Johnson from Manchester, the suspected ringleader of the alleged drug gang, were also found on the premises.
The prosecution claims that Mr Ross, of Gunn’s Terrace, Wick, was lured to Algarve in October 2010 with the promise of a job, growing cannabis to pay off a £10,000 drug-trafficking debt. It is alleged that the father of two had an ear, fingers and toes cut off, and tendons slashed, while held in a secluded villa.
The accused have remained silent so far, but at least three of them are expected to speak out before a panel of judges in the next few days.
The case continues.
A FOREIGN court has been hearing of how an investigation into the abduction and torture of a Wick man, led police to one of the largest cannabis farms in Europe in a village called Big Trouble.
Five Britons are accused of abducting James Ross and keeping him captive in a remote location in the Algarve region for 13 days, during which he was tortured. It is also alleged there was an attempt to murder him by driving a car with him inside, into a reservoir.
Police witnesses told the court at Loule Court, in Portugal, on the second day of the trial, that one of the accused helped police locate the huge drug plantation in Sarilhos Grandes, Montijo. Officers discovered rows of cannabis and a sophisticated system for growing the drug using fans fertilisers dehumidifiers and carbondioxide cylinders. Items belonging to Steven Johnson from Manchester, the suspected ringleader of the alleged drug gang, were also found on the premises.
The prosecution claims that Mr Ross, of Gunn’s Terrace, Wick, was lured to Algarve in October 2010 with the promise of a job, growing cannabis to pay off a £10,000 drug-trafficking debt. It is alleged that the father of two had an ear, fingers and toes cut off, and tendons slashed, while held in a secluded villa.
The accused have remained silent so far, but at least three of them are expected to speak out before a panel of judges in the next few days.
The case continues.