Three men jailed for conspiring to produce cannabis

Three men have been jailed for conspiring to produce a Class B drug after suspicious activity at a residential property was raised with Northamptonshire Police.

Concerns were raised after eight people in several vehicles were seen coming and going from an address in a Northampton cul-de-sac at about 5am on Sunday, May 26, this year.

Among the vehicles outside the house in Duston Wildes was a white van, which appeared to be being loaded with suspected cannabis plants.

As the Northampton Neighbourhood Policing Team collated evidence for a search warrant, on Wednesday, May 29, a 999 call was received into the Force Control Room, reporting more suspicious activity at the property.

A man was seen loading boxes into a vehicle before driving off however, the van was stopped a short distance away from the property by a Northamptonshire Police Dog Unit and the sole occupant – 29-year-old Gentjan Carku – was arrested.

Shortly afterwards, 28-year-old Ardjan Mulati and 26-year-old Arian Pema were arrested after they were found inside the house along with a small quantity of cannabis plants in one room and remnants that showed cannabis had already been harvested from other rooms.

There was also evidence that the house was being prepped to grow a fresh crop of the Class B drug with new stock and equipment associated with the production of cannabis located inside the address.

All three men were subsequently charged and appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court on Friday, May 31, charged with one offence of conspiring to produce cannabis – a controlled Class B drug.

They were remanded in custody until their next hearing at Northampton Crown Court on Friday, July 26, where they pleaded not guilty, and the case was adjourned for a trial at the beginning of November.

However, before the jury was sworn in on Tuesday, November 12, Mulati, of no fixed address, changed his plea to guilty, and the case against him was adjourned while his two co-defendants elected to still stand trial.

On Thursday, November 21, a jury at Northampton Crown Court found both Carku, of Princes Avenue in Palmers Green, and Pema, of Greens Lane in Hornsey, both in London, guilty of the single charge.

All three returned to the same court the following day (Friday, November 22) to be sentenced. Mulati was handed a 12-month sentence, while Carku and Pema both received 14 months’ imprisonment.

Carku was also fined £250 and had six penalty endorsement points added to his licence after pleading guilty to driving otherwise in accordance with a licence. He received no additional penalty for driving without third party insurance.

In addition to this, Carku was ordered to pay a £187 surcharge in full upon his release while the presiding judge also made a forfeiture application under Section 27 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, for £1,707.21 seized to be redirected to the Northamptonshire Community Fund, which provides financial support to charities.

Neighbourhood policing officer, PC Lydia Chamberlain, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who contacted us about the suspicious activity at this property. It was as a direct result of their concerns which led to this conviction.

“People may think that the production of cannabis is a victimless crime, but what they don’t realise is those at the top of the chain make very large sums of money from producing and distributing the drug.

“Tackling and preventing drug harm is a matter of priority for the Force and we will continue to act on information to disrupt those, often organised crime groups, setting up professional and sophisticated cannabis factories within our communities.

“This is a prime example of how we can work together with our partners and residents to take positive action against issues affecting them and I would urge anyone who has concerns about drug dealing within their local communities to keep reporting suspicious activity to us.”

If anyone has concerns about drug dealing or any other illegal activities, please report it to us on 101, online at www.northants.police.uk/ro or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.