A huge cannabis farm being looked after by three illegal Albanian immigrants was discovered when police found a live stream of the drugs factory.
When Edison Sulanjaku was arrested after a drug deal in the West End of Newcastle, officers saw an app playing CCTV footage of the cannabis farm on his mobile phone. That led them to an industrial scale drugs factory, with almost 2,000 plants worth more than £800,000, which had been set up by a criminal gang at a unit in Dunston, Gateshead.
Now Sulanjaku, who had a "supervisory" role and "gardeners" Besnik Cela and Xhenifer Muca, have been jailed at Newcastle Crown Court and were warned they will be deported after serving their sentences.
Read more: Illegal immigrant jailed after police found him looking after cannabis farm in Ashington
Graham O'Sullivan, prosecuting, said: "All three defendants played a role in the cultivation and supply of cannabis, the operation being based at an industrial unit located on St Omer’s Road area of Dunston, Gateshead. It is the prosecution case that Sulanjaku acted as a supervisor/manager in the operation, whilst both Cela and Muca effectively acted as “gardeners”.
"This offending was discovered by chance. On Sunday 28th August 2022 officers were on mobile patrol in the West End of Newcastle upon Tyne when they stopped their unmarked vehicle outside of a takeaway pizza restaurant. A short while later a vehicle carrying three people pulled up in front of the police vehicle and was approached by Sulanjaku and another male on foot, the officers observed a drug deal take place between the occupants of the car and the male with Sulanjaku.
"The officers attempted to follow the vehicle after Sulanjaku and the other male walked into the pizza shop but lost contact so decided to return to the shop and try to locate Sulanjaku and the male. Both were located inside the shop and searched, Sulanjaku was found to be in possession of the keys to a car park nearby, when searched it was found to contain receipts for hydroponic equipment."
Sulanjaku was arrested and a mobile telephone was seized. The device was examined and officers discovered software that provided a live feed of the cannabis farm, with two men seen on the footage to be tending to the plants. Officers were able to identify the property as an industrial unit in Gateshead.
Mr O'Sullivan said: "Once access was gained to the unit a large number of cannabis plants were discovered in various stages of growth, this suggests an ongoing operation intended to produce follow on crops. The plants were being grown with the use of hydroponic equipment.
"During a search of the compound the defendant Cela was located inside a caravan and was arrested. He was later identified by a police officer as one of the men who had been observed on the CCTV feed tending to the plants."
The property was found to contain around 1,950 cannabis plants at very stages of growth, worth between £187,600 and £805,00.
The following morning police officers attended an address on Lincoln Street in Sunderland, which they had been led by WhatsApp messages recovered from Sulanjaku’s phone that suggested he had arranged for delivery of cannabis plants to the address.
On arrival officers were allowed entry by Muca and inside they discovered between 16 and 17 kilos of cannabis packed in a number of vacuum sealed packages, worth between £43,300 and £65,500.
All three pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and Sulanjaku, 26, of North Station Avenue, Houghton-le-Spring, also admitted possessing cannabis with intent to supply and Muca, 22, of no fixed address, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis. Sulanjaku was jailed for four-and-a-half years, Muca got 18 months and Cela, 49, of no fixed address, got 16 months. They will be deported after serving half of their sentences behind bars.
Recorder Tony Hawks told them: "You are all Albanian nationals who, in the summer of last year, were illegally in this country. In August last year you were discovered by police in control of what was an industrial cannabis farm in Dunston.
"Cannabis farms are becoming a scourge in this area and people who are involved in their operation must expect immediate sentences of imprisonment."
The court heard the men are remorseful and they were acting under the direction of others higher up the chain.
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