Two men jailed after three separate cannabis grows found on same street

Two men have been jailed after we unearthed three separate cannabis grows on the same street in Stoke-on-Trent.

Klejton Shahinaj, 20, of Stoke-on-Trent, and Kledi Hilaj, 24, of no fixed address, were both arrested after we forced our way into three homes on Stanley Street in Tunstall back in March.

We found a number of plants, electrical equipment and growing tools across all three of the grows. All of them were being powered by dangerous electricity bypasses which needed to be disabled at the mains by digging up the road to make sure those living in the area were safe.

When we kicked the door in at one of the houses, Hilaj was seen running out the back barefooted. He was caught and arrested, leaving 59 plants inside, 49 transformers and 49 growing lights.

One of the other houses where Shahinaj was found had 119 plants inside, as well as transformers and a sophisticated growing set-up which was a significant fire hazard.

Both of them were questioned in custody and charged with offences.

Shahinaj admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis and was jailed for five months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 2 May.

Hilaj admitted producing cannabis and was sentenced to eight months at the same court on the same day.

Sergeant Chris Gifford, who dealt with the cases and currently works in the Stoke North local policing team, said: “Officers across Staffordshire are regularly carrying out warrants in the area, acting on intelligence and tackling community concerns on a proactive basis.

“On this occasion, we were able to safely dismantle a number of sophisticated cannabis grows that posed significant safety risks to those in the area, as well as taking drugs off our streets and putting a dent in the groups responsible for growing and selling drugs in Stoke-on-Trent.

“Only by working closely with local residents and businesses can we continue to build on intelligence and address the issues that are affecting local people in Staffordshire.”