Four jailed after £330k cannabis grow found

Four men have been jailed after we found nearly 1,000 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £330,000, cash and mobile phones in South Staffordshire.

Mikel Hasani, 28, from Hinckley, Leicestershire, and Martin Kurti, 27, Ardit Lataj, 30, and Arlind Neza, 32, all of no fixed address, were sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on Monday (8 July) after pleading guilty to producing a controlled drug of Class B (cannabis) at an earlier hearing.

Hasani received two-years-and-three-months in prison and must pay a surcharge of £228, whilst Kurti, Lataj and Neza were locked up for two years and each told to pay a surcharge of £187.

It comes after officers found 944 cannabis plants, £560 in cash, and phones at an address in Perton on Friday 8 March. The drugs were seized and destroyed.

Chief Inspector Tim Norbury, South Staffordshire local policing team (LPT) Commander, said: “This was a substantial grow where thousands of pounds-worth of cannabis was being cultivated. As such, this is a great result.

“We want to be very clear that we do not welcome cannabis cultivation here in Staffordshire. Often, grows are linked with more complex and serious crimes, involving organised gangs intent on exploiting vulnerable people. Cannabis cultivation is not a victimless crime.”

Officers across the region are continuing to proactively target drug cultivation as part of our Operation Levidrome commitment.

To read more about how you can spot the signs of cannabis cultivation in your area, visit: https://www.staffordshire.police.uk/police-forces/staffordshire-police/areas/staffordshire-police/campaigns/2021/cannabis-farms/