Wheelchair-bound Yehia Hassan, 78, discovered his home in Bedfordshire, England, had been transformed into a cannabis factory by tenants while he was receiving hospital treatment in Egypt. The ordeal has left him doubting who he can trust.
Home turned into cannabis greenhouse
Hassan described his home before the conversion as "perfect" and expressed disbelief at the damage. "I just don't know how people can do this to someone else's property. It's the only place I have," he said. Police raided the property and uncovered hundreds of cannabis plants, but the occupants have not been located.
Trust betrayed
Hassan had entrusted the tenants to look after his home. "I really trusted the guy," he said. "He said he was going to look after the place. But honestly, I don't know who I can trust any more. All my life I have worked for this house. It's going to cost tens of thousands of pounds to put everything right."
Growing issue of professional enablers
Bedfordshire Police highlighted an increasing problem of "professional enablers subletting to criminal networks for the cultivation of cannabis." Detective Inspector Simon Mullan stated: "We are now seeing estate agents involved in many of the factories we enforce against. Estate agents are unregulated, which is one of the big problems, and criminals are exploiting this industry for their own ends."
Family impact
Hassan now lives with his ex-wife and relies on his 19-year-old daughter, Razan, who has postponed her university plans to care for him. "I was due to go to university, but have put that on hold to sort this out. There is still no power because the renters rewired everything and were stealing electricity from the entire street," she said. The tenants drilled large holes in walls for extractor fans, hung heavy lights from ceilings, and removed fence panels to access a third property.
