Two men have been jailed after operating a £6.2 million cannabis farm inside Bradford Interchange while parts of the transport hub were closed due to structural concerns.
Sheraz Ahmed, 24, and Hung Nguyen, 65, both of no fixed address, were sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on Tuesday after admitting producing a Class B controlled drug. Ahmed was sentenced to 27 months in prison, while Nguyen received a 24-month sentence. The pair were discovered running a large-scale cannabis-growing operation from a unit within Bradford Interchange in November 2024.
Police raided the premises after reports of a strong smell of cannabis coming from the building. Officers found almost 7,000 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of around £6.2 million. At the time, the bus station section of the interchange had been closed following structural safety concerns after a section of concrete collapsed into a basement area in late 2023.
West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA), which owns and operates the transport hub, said the cannabis farm was located in a leased unit that was inaccessible to its staff. The authority said it worked closely with West Yorkshire Police following the discovery to ensure there were no safety risks to the operation of the bus and rail stations.
Responding to the sentencing, a WYCA spokesperson said: “We welcome these sentences and are pleased to see that the matter has now been resolved.”
The discovery of the cannabis farm came during a period when Bradford Interchange was already under scrutiny due to its closure and ongoing structural assessments. Although surveys later concluded the 1970s-built facility could safely reopen in the short term, reports found that the interchange would eventually need replacing with a modern facility.
Following the sentencing, Sergeant Barry Coleman of Bradford City Neighbourhood Policing Team described the operation as a significant organised crime enterprise. He said: “This was a significant and organised operation into the production of drugs right in the city centre.
“We are committed to taking drug offending seriously and the production of illegal drugs will not be tolerated in our communities.”
Police have encouraged anyone with information about drug production or supply to contact West Yorkshire Police or Crimestoppers.
