IPSWICH: A well-known restaurateur’s life is in ruins today after he was jailed for 28 months for letting his premises be used as a cannabis factory.

Debt-ridden, and unable to cope with his young son’s death, Abdul Malik let violent criminals use Jamil’s Koh-i-Noor in Crown Street, Ipswich, to grow masses of the Class B drug.

Malik leased the Indian restaurant in 2008, naming it after his 10-year-old son who died on a flight to Bangladesh in 2007 while on his way to visit family.

However, struggling under the burden of Jamil’s loss, and about �60,000 in debt, Malik turned to sub-letting the premises to drug growers.

The 34-year-old, of Crown Street, Ipswich, was jailed by the town’s crown court after previously pleading guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis, and possession of ammunition.

Noel Casey, prosecuting, told the court police had gone to the restaurant at about 4pm on June 15 last year to carry out a search warrant.

After Malik let the officers in, they found nearly 600 plants of various sizes in three upstairs rooms, as well as drug-growing paraphernalia.

The court heard the estimated maximum value of the crop, in the unlikely event none of it was lost, would have been between �245,000 and �753,000.

Christopher Paxton, mitigating, told Judge John Devaux: “Mr Malik stands in court today in debt, and a ruined man. There was a time when Mr Malik was proud to have in his restaurant pillars of the local community, including police officers and local magistrates and the like. His plea has resulted in a ruined man. He’s lost his good name, he has lost his standing and his debts remain high.”

The court heard Malik – who had no previous convictions – had taken on the lease of the property, but owed his landlords in the region of �40,000 by March 2010.

Before getting into difficulties the father-of-three was well-known, and well-respected, in the restaurant business, having also worked at the Koh-i-Noor in Upper Orwell Street.Mr Paxton said: “Tragically and suddenly in 2007 Mr Malik’s son died on a flight to Bangladesh. Mr Malik doesn’t seek at all to play on that tragedy, but as a consequence his focus became different. He lost, perhaps understandably, interest in his business and the already high rent seemed beyond his reach.

“It became known that he was struggling financially. Others came along and asked to use the premises above the restaurant. It became reasonably quickly obvious to him they were involved in cannabis production. As he was receiving some financial benefit in terms of rent, he turned a blind eye to the production. He was in too deep and was subject to threats to cause him serious harm.”

In addition to the cannabis, eight gun cartridges were discovered at Malik’s restaurant. However, no firearm was found at the premises.