Pair who created cannabis factory inside old fancy dress shop jailed
Two men who set up a cannabis factory in a former fancy dress store have been jailed.
A cannabis farm containing 300 plants worth £160,000 was discovered by police across three floors of Portsmouth’s former U Need Us store in October.
Hassan Dauti, 32, of Arundel Street, Portsmouth, and Emiljano Shehi, 40, of no fixed address, were arrested for cultivating cannabis and entering the UK without permission.
The pair were sentenced to 14 months in prison at Portsmouth Crown Court after pleading guilty.
Dauti and Shehi, both Albanian citizens, will be handed over to the immigration office after completing their sentences.
A spokesman for Hampshire Constabulary said: “Once they have completed their sentence they will be taken into the custody of immigration enforcement.”
A spokesman for the force said officers were called to the address by Scottish & Southern Electricity (SSE) workers who attempted to cut the power to the disused shop and found the premises after a strong odor of cannabis was detected.
Detective Chief Inspector Sam Warne said: “Cannabis factories of this size are unusual and can pose significant risks, including fire, due to the way electricity is used. Ultimately we stopped the distribution of these drugs.”
“Drug supply causes harm and misery to our communities and we will continue to disrupt this and ensure our city is a hostile environment for drug dealers to operate.”
