Men Admit Running Cannabis Factory From Nuclear Bunker

Image courtesy: Wiltshire Police handout.

Three men have admitted their part in running a large-scale cannabis factory from an underground nuclear bunker.

Martin Fillery, 45, Plamen Nguyen, 27, and Ross Winter, 30, admitted conspiracy to produce class B drugs and abstracting electricity.

Police discovered more than 4,000 cannabis plants, capable of producing £2 million worth of drugs per year, during a midnight raid on the former RAF Chilmark, now RCHQ Chilmark.

The underground nuclear bunker was constructed in the 1980s to house local government in the event of a nuclear attack during the height of the Cold War.

RGHQ Chilmark is no longer owned by the Ministry of Defence but it is still intact, with the nuclear blast doors making the site almost impenetrable.

Police intercepted Fillery, Nguyen and Winter as they left the site, having gathered intelligence in relation to it.

Officers used keys found in the men's possession to gain entry to the bunker, which was being powered by £250,000 worth of illegally abstracted electricity.

The three men admitted charges at Salisbury Crown Court, and will be sentenced on August 11.