In a shocking revelation resembling a storyline from a crime drama, businessman Jeremy Southgate operated a seemingly ordinary student letting agency that turned out to be a front for a massive multi-million pound cannabis empire. The 63-year-old, trained solicitor, ran the illegal operation with the help of Albanians smuggled into Britain in the back of trucks.

Southgate’s audacity reached new heights as he obtained government grants to insulate houses where foreign ‘gardeners’ tended to his cannabis farms. Even during the pandemic, he managed to secure £100,000 worth of Covid loans to sustain his sham business.

Running an elaborate scheme, Southgate created ghost tenants to cover council tax bills, all while amassing up to £11.4 million annually from his drug enterprise. He brazenly stole electricity from neighbours and once even deployed a team to dig up a road to bypass a metre.

Described by Hull police as “arrogant and greedy,” Southgate, who owned 72 properties outright, a boat, and assets including a nursing home, was arrested as one of Britain’s most audacious criminals.

DC Karen Smith, who arrested Southgate, expressed her disbelief, stating, “I’ve never met anyone quite like Southgate. In interviews, he was evasive, arrogant, and wouldn’t answer questions, often going off on tangents.”

Southgate’s empire was exposed during Operation Swale, initiated after a 2021 drug bust in Hull. Albanian cousins Dardan Mrishaj and Evris Mirshaj were found to be collaborating with Southgate and other associates. The letting agency, Anderson Estates, turned out to be a complete fraud, managed by another criminal named Florjan Kasaj.

The illegal Albanians were employed to care for the cannabis plants, contributing to a staggering £2.4 million yield per crop. Despite this lucrative operation, Southgate applied for government grants to insulate his properties and fraudulently obtained £100,000 in Covid loans.

Southgate’s illicit activities extended to creating fake ID papers for nonexistent tenants to have the local authority cover council tax bills. He even went so far as to drill into roads to steal electricity, employing Albanian gang tactics to evade detection.

Convicted at Hull Crown Court, Southgate was found guilty of producing Class B drugs, money laundering, and fraud. His accomplices, including the Albanian cousins and Kasaj, were also convicted of conspiracy to produce Class B drugs. All four individuals will face sentencing in February.

Despite his conviction, Southgate’s true home address remains undisclosed. DC Smith emphasised that Southgate employed “Albanian gang tactics” to cover his tracks, highlighting his attempts to evade the law at every turn. Even after his arrest in December 2022, Southgate attempted to set up a new cannabis farm before authorities shut him down.

Now, the man who once operated a fake estate agency will soon find himself as a tenant—in a prison cell.