Drugs gang turns ex-Premier League star’s abandoned £3m mansion into cannabis farm

On Oct 9, 2022

Former Liverpool and Arsenal star Jermaine Pennant has seen his £3million mansion taken over by gangsters and turned into a cannabis factory.

The former England Under-21 international had just moved to Anfield from Birmingham City in a dream move for the ex-winger. He bought a luxury five-bedroom house that he lived in for three years before his move to Real Zaragoza.

That would be the last time he would reside in the millionaire pad after a nomadic career that led him across the world to places such as India and Singapore before retiring after leaving Billericay Town. The house was rented out during that 10-year period.

But since 2020, the mansion has been left abandoned until drug gangs moved in and turned the property into a cannabis farm, report the Daily Mail. A team of YouTubers infiltrated the house and found sacks of the drug scattered across the place.

Black bin bags of what appear to be cannabis can be found in almost every room while a picture of Pennant was also discovered during the earlier stages of his career sipping on a McDonalds drink.

Black bin bags of cannabis can be seen in the abandoned mansion

The building and its facilities have all been left run down

Extension cables were also sprawled across the manor, keeping the heat on to encourage the growth of the plant.

The building itself has fallen into disrepair with weeds, not the smoking kind, shooting up through various cracks in the house.

One of the YouTube explorers can be heard saying: “Wow, this is former footballer Jermaine Pennant’s house and look at the mountains of weed everywhere. There is so much of the stuff it stinks.”

Extension cables can be seen being used to keep the sacks of weed growing

Jermaine Pennant used to play for the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal

Police arrested a 35-year-old man earlier this year as part of a drug investigation but there is no indication that Pennant knew what his old home was being used for.

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Cheshire police said: “On 5 January 2022 police executed a warrant at a property on Hale Road in Widnes. A cannabis farm was found inside and a quantity of plants were seized.

Nearly every room has sacks of week in them

“At the time a 35-year-old man was arrested and has been released under investigation. In September officers received further information of a cannabis farm at the same property on Hale Road.

“Officers executed the warrant on 2 September and following a search no cannabis plants were located.”

Daily Star Sport has approached Pennant for comment.