Two men have been jailed for playing key roles in a £1.6 million cannabis factory which was set up in a former Carlisle nightclub.
Police had been contacted by members of the public who described smelling the drug in the area of West Walls, close to the city centre.
Officers went to investigate on 12th October. They saw Andiol Mucolli, 25, coming out of the building and a short time later they also observed 42-year-old Iirjan Jaho exit the premises. Both were arrested.
During a detailed search of the former Club XS building, police found a sophisticated and large scale cannabis production operation. This was spread across nine rooms and comprised almost 1,700 plants — 276 of which were mere stumps in pots having already been harvested. The potential street value of the class B controlled drug, an expert concluded, was in the region of £1.6 million.
There was sophisticated ventilation, lighting, temperature control and irrigation systems in place including a large silver pipe which ran right through the building and had been partially covered in broken-up cardboard boxes; keys for all parts of the building were hung neatly on a board, and the electricity supply had been bypassed.
In addition, empty fabric softener bottles were also seen, with crude attempts having apparently been made to mask the distinctive smell of the drug.
Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson told Carlisle Crown Court that officers found three bedrooms created in a former office area, along with a cooking area and well-stocked fridge. They also seized a host of personal items including clothing, phones and passports in the names of Mucolli and Jaho — homeless Albanian nationals who were in the UK illegally.
Both later admitted a cannabis production charge. They spoke of travelling to the UK having left family in their homeland, and of feeling under pressure to become involved in the illegal enterprise.
Judge Nicholas Barker jailed the men for two years each. He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all drugs, paraphernalia and property seized by police.
