A man has been jailed after police sniffed out his cannabis factory while patrolling a Nottinghamshire town. When walking down Sime Street in Worksop in November 2021, officers smelt the strong scent of cannabis from outside a house.
After noticing all its blinds were closed during the day, police climbed a ladder and looked through a shed window where they spotted signs of growing cannabis. Gaining entry at around 2.45pm, officers were met with five rooms full of cannabis plants, totalling 169 plants at various stages of growth.
Elmas Sitaj, of no fixed address, was later charged with the production of cannabis. Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on January 3 having pleaded guilty, the 34-year-old was jailed for 10 months.
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Inspector Hayley Crawford, District Commander for Bassetlaw, said: "Even when officers are out patrolling they’re always on the lookout to help keep our communities safe. Thanks to the neighbourhood officers’ instincts we were able to disturb a sophisticated cannabis grow and stop the drugs getting on to our streets.
"The production and supply of drugs bring with it a whole host of problems. Not only does it prey on the most vulnerable in our communities but the supply of drugs can often be linked to more serious organised crime and violence.
"Cannabis grows are also extremely dangerous due to the heightened fire risk when electricity is bypassed, leaving neighbours and other residents at much greater risk. Thankfully in this case our officers were able to swoop in on Sitaj unannounced and put a stop to the grow and stop a substantial amount of drugs getting out and hitting the streets.
"I want to urge anyone in our communities who suspects drug-related activity is going on in their area to get in touch with us and help us crack down on drug crime. Your information is incredibly valuable to our investigations and can be the difference in us putting a stop to criminals." Anyone with any information is asked to call 101 or 999 in an emergency.
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