Four Albanians who took a punt on their involvement in an £390,000 cannabis farm found in a former Workington bookmakers have all been jailed.
Police had first received reports of a number of males acting suspiciously and loading a silver Ford Transit van on January 16. This vehicle had been seen outside the premises in Market Place, Workington.
It was stopped on the M6 in Lancashire by an officer keeping lookout who felt the vehicle was low to the ground and appeared overloaded. The driver was Eneo Kamberi, 24, and his passengers were 28-year-old Eriton Qato and Esat Qama, 25, who initially gave a false name.
After the officer detected a strong smell of cannabis he decided to search the van, finding 120 black plastic bags containing waste products which were the remnants of a cannabis grow.
All three men were arrested. Officers attended 7 Market Place and forced entry using metal cutters to pierce shuttering which had been maintained
They located a cannabis grow as well as keys to use the metal shutters and external doors.
A fourth man, Edwart Rrampushaj, 37, and of no fixed address, was found upstairs in the property and arrested at the scene.
Maturing or close-to-maturing cannabis plants were found in three rooms with juvenile plants in the fourth. It was also noted that significant efforts had been used to conceal this grow,” prosecutor Jack Troup told Carlisle Crown Court today.
“The external bookmakers facade has been maintained. A large carbon filter was installed to remove odour and there has been efforts to obscure light from the grow lamps escaping and being seen from outside.
“In addition, the electricity meter had been bypassed.”
A total of 246 cannabis plants were recovered. A drugs expert estimated that a potential yield for street sale could have weighed in at almost 39kg and been valued at up to £388,680.
CCTV showed Kamberi and Qama, off Newark Street, Bradford, and Qato, of Nesfield Street, Bradford, arriving at the address and unloading multiple cardboard boxes from the van, before loading it up with bin bags.
All four men admitted being concerned in the production of a controlled drug of class B.
Mitigation was given by their respective lawyers. Judge Nicholas Barker jailed the men for 21 months each.
