A group of men have admitted their roles in a major cannabis supply and importation conspiracy after police seized around two tonnes of the drug worth an estimated £24 million.
Six defendants entered guilty pleas ahead of a trial which had been due to begin at Manchester Crown Court this week.
The case follows a major police operation at Leigh Tenement Farm in Blackrod in January, where officers discovered around 2,000kg of cannabis.
Usman Latif, 26, of Leverhulme Avenue, Great Lever, and Calvin Gregg, 21, of Croyd Road, Lytham St Annes, admitted conspiring to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of cannabis.
Musa Kala, 36, of Dunbar Drive, Great Lever, admitted the same offence as well as conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Raheem Latif, 28, also of Leverhulme Avenue, Great Lever, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to fraudulently evade the prohibition on the importation of cannabis.
Nahzeeb Hussain, 36, of Brazley Avenue, Great Lever, admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Nehmaan Rashid, 35, of Worsley Road, Farnworth, also admitted conspiracy to supply cannabis.
Four other men involved in the case had previously entered guilty pleas.
Hashim Rahman, 27, of Lowick Avenue, Great Lever, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.
Faizan Ali, 24, of Armadale Road, Ladybridge; Aman Hussain, 24, of Hilden Street, The Haulgh; and Muhammed Asghar, 24, of Glenbrook Gardens, Farnworth, also admitted the same offence.
All of the defendants have been remanded in custody ahead of sentencing.
The case is expected to return to Manchester Crown Court on 14 October.
The investigation followed the discovery of what Greater Manchester Police described as a large-scale and sophisticated illegal drugs operation at Leigh Tenement Farm in Blackrod.
Around 2,000kg of cannabis was seized, with police estimating its potential street value at approximately £24 million.
Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop, of Greater Manchester Police’s Serious Crime Division, said at the time that the seizure had removed a significant quantity of illegal drugs and disrupted criminal networks.
Police said the investigation formed part of continuing efforts to target large-scale drug production and distribution.
