Trio jailed after cannabis factory shut down

Three men caught tending to a ‘sophisticated and extensive’ cannabis grow inside a house have been jailed.

Neighbourhood policing team officers arrested the trio after executing a warrant at the property in Cator Lane, Chilwell, shortly after 9.30am on 21 August 2023.

After forcing entry through the front door, they discovered the living room, two upstairs bedrooms and the loft were filled with a cannabis crop.

Rooms were covered in plastic sheeting, with windows covered and extractor fans, heating, a watering system and carbon filters in place.

A total of 232 plants were recovered and newly planted baby plants were also found in one of the growing areas.

From left, Arsen Roko, Mirjan Aliko and Song Lo.

Mirjan Aliko, aged 35, of no fixed address, Song Lo, 25, of no fixed address, and 24-year-old Arsen Ruko, of Cator Lane, pleaded guilty to the production of a Class B drug.

At Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (13 February) Lo was jailed for 14 months, Ruko received a 13-month prison sentence and Aliko was locked up for one year.

Judge Julie Warburton told the court each of the defendants must have been aware of the ‘sophisticated and significant’ scale of the operation and said she had rarely seen so much of one home given over to the production of cannabis.

Sergeant Simon Boyles, of the Broxtowe neighbourhood policing team, said:

“Neighbourhood officers were able to take positive action and shut down this large cannabis grow thanks to information from the community.

“Five growing areas were discovered and most of the property was being used to produce the drug.

“It would have made the people behind it a considerable amount of money.

“Developing intelligence and acting upon it like this is an important part of our work as a team.

“Information from local people is key to our ongoing efforts so we would urge the public to keep reporting anything suspicious to us.

“The more information we get the better intelligence picture we can build and the more robust action we can take.

“Cannabis production is a serious issue because it is often driven by organised criminals and can create a very real fire hazard for people living in the area.

“Whenever we discover grows of this nature we also carry out further inquiries into those further up the supply chain as well as with the owner or landlord of the property.

“We will not hesitate to prosecute anyone we discover has been allowing their property to be used for the production of drugs.”