TWO men were found above a pub in Newport city centre with more than 2,000 cannabis plants which had a potential street value of £915,000.
Petrit Cania, 24, and Olsi Mema, 32, were arrested after police saw them hiding under a table at the former offices over the Alexandra pub on Commercial Street.
Argus reporter Sam Portillo joined police on the raid - read his report here.
Nuhu Gobir, prosecuting, said: “There were 2,189 cannabis plants growing at the premises.
“This was cannabis production at an industrial scale.”
The electricity supply had been bypassed and Judge Paul Hobson described the scale of the operation as “huge”.
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Cania provided the police with a prepared statement when he was questioned.
He told them he arrived in the UK four months ago from Albania and was put to work at the cannabis factory to pay off the £20,000 cost of his passage to Britain.
Mema likewise gave the officers a prepared statement.
He said he came to this country a year ago and was taken to work in Newport after being employed in the construction industry in Kent.
“This defendant said he had wanted to leave the cannabis factory but feared for his family at home,” Mr Gobir told Cardiff Crown Court.
They both admitted production of cannabis after the raid on Thursday, November 2.
Ben Waters and Tabitha Walker, representing Cania and Mema respectively, said that they had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty.
Judge Hobson told both defendants: “The scale of this operation can rightly be described as huge.
“This enterprise was extensive and sophisticated.
“Damage had been caused to the structure of the building due to the set-up and the electricity had been bypassed.”
He added: “You were acting as gardeners and you were living in reasonable comfort.
“You had mobile phones and you were trusted by the people who had put you there.”
Gwent Police found that the front door had been barricaded when they raided the property. Picture: Sam Portillo (Newsquest)
Cania and Mema were each jailed for 15 months.
PC Matthew Jones, the officer in the case said: “We welcome today’s sentence and hope that it sends a clear message that drug supply will not be tolerated in our communities.
“Every cannabis factory we dismantle helps prevent a vicious cycle of crime.
Firearms officers were involved in the raid. Picture: Sam Portillo (Newsquest)
"By disrupting operations, the plants are stopped from being sold into our communities and the profits are prevented from going on to fund other crime.”
Superintendent Jason White said: “In the last few months, we’ve dismantled nine cannabis factories in central Newport.
"Many of these have been set up and managed by sophisticated serious organised crime groups who are taking advantage of disused commercial properties.
“The public and partners play an important role in providing information and we encourage anyone with concerns to get in touch.
“If something doesn’t feel right, it might not be. Don’t wait, report it.
“You can do this by calling 101, sending us a message on social media, or anonymously through Crimestoppers.”
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