From the outside it was a dilapidated wasteland on the outskirts of Rochdale. When police began searching for what became known as ‘The Pen’ in the summer of 2023, they were completely unaware of what lurked beneath its surface.
After a month-long search, drugs worth millions of liras, a sawn-off shotgun, a large amount of ammunition, a gun, as well as 800 parrots, mink, ferrets, Koi carp and a bull were seized.
More than 50 officers were tasked with combing the complex on Dyehouse Lane.
A total of five firearms containing ammunition and drugs were seized from the property, including 10kg of amphetamine with a street value of £100,000, 99g of cannabis oil worth £12,884, cannabis worth £57,000 and cocaine worth £4,685. .
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Zak Dearden, 36, was arrested following the move before being charged with multiple felonies. Today, October 11, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Prosecutor Alex Beevers said on July 27 last year officers went to the family home in Rochdale, which consisted of containers and outbuildings. Over the next four weeks, drugs, weapons and chemicals were found.
“Officers found two plastic bags containing cannabis and six bars of amphetamine in a life-long baggie. “The total weight of the amphetamine was just under 6 kilos,” he said.
“The street value was £60,000. “It was clear that amphetamine was being produced in a laboratory.”
He said that during the search, an expert observed that he had never seen such an ‘extremely complex machine’ in his 20 years of work. This included the size and scale of the laboratory and any remaining scrap materials.
Minshull Street Crown Court heard there were also live animals rescued. Dearden ran a pet store with his father, which resulted in officers finding animals including mink, bull, ferret, parrot, dog, peacock and Koi carp.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed he was left in the care of his father following his arrest.
Officers also found four kilos of amphetamines, a chemical laboratory used to make drugs, cannabis oil, a heat sealing machine and a quantity of cocaine in the boot of an Audi parked on the property.
Mr Beevers continued: “Three days after the initial search, in bushes at the rear of the property a police officer found a self-loading Browning shotgun with the barrel cut off.”
They went on to find a revolver, a revolver, and more ammunition, as well as cartridges that could be used in a shotgun. A few days later they found another shotgun hidden in the wall of the Koi pond.
“A day later, officers searched the living quarters of the property and found drugs and weapons paraphernalia, including silencers, homemade bullets, binoculars and a bow and arrow set. “There were also three air guns, a gun case and other rifles,” he added.
The court heard that he did not make any comments in his statement to the police, but in a prepared statement he claimed that he had been threatened by some Albanian men to hide the drugs, but there was no evidence to support this.
Dearden was said to have four convictions for eight offences, including possession of a firearm, wounding under Section 20 and intimidating a witness.
Robert Smith, mitigating, said there was no evidence his client was living a ‘lavish lifestyle’.
“He was running a pet shop, it was a business he was dealing with,” he said. Mr Smith added that the Kalem did not belong to him and that he was allowed to live there by a friend.
Dearden, of Dyehouse Lane, Rochdale, was jailed for 10 years. He had previously pleaded guilty; 13 charges, including amphetamine production; possession with intent to supply amphetamine; production of cannabis oil, possession of cocaine with intent to supply; possession of cannabis with intent to supply; possession of a prohibited smoothbore gun; converting an imitation firearm into a firearm; three counts of possession of a firearm while prohibited and three counts of possession of ammunition while prohibited.
The Proceeds of Crime Act Hearing was due to be held on February 10 next year. Detective Sergeant Steven Gilliland, from our Rochdale area, said: “This was a very challenging search and case. It took a month to completely search the site – it was the largest search I have ever been involved in.
“I want to thank our officers and partners who assisted in this investigation; the hazardous chemicals Dearden used to manufacture the drugs had to be destroyed by chemical disposal experts.
“Words are inadequate to describe the scale of the terrain, the amount of buildings affecting the search and the condition of the buildings. “Our investigation managed to uncover large quantities of dangerous drugs, weapons and a variety of animals living in appalling conditions.
“For example, we found 10 dogs living in an environment that can only be described as their own waste. Concerns were raised and the RSPCA attended. All of the dogs were removed from the kennels and alternative housing was found. I must thank the Dogs Trust in Denton for adopting two of the dogs and Leigh Dogs and Cats Home for taking in three.
“This operation has resulted in threatening material being removed from the streets of Greater Manchester and today’s sentence puts a dangerous offender behind bars.”