Man jailed after officers follow their noses to huge cannabis grow inside abandoned Derby factory

A man has been jailed after a strong smell of cannabis led officers to sniff out a large-scale drugs operation inside an abandoned factory. 

A number of residents complained about a strong smell of cannabis coming from a building close to the city centre in Lynton Street, Stockbrook.

Officers attended on Monday, 11 August, and noticed an overwhelming smell before gaining access to the former industrial building. 

Once inside, they discovered as many as 500 cannabis plants were being grown in numerous rooms. 

This included a sophisticated set-up including growing equipment, lights and a drying room.

Officers also discovered some living quarters which included a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. 

During their search, officers later found a man hiding in a lift shaft. 

Bardhul Xhyra was arrested and charged with cannabis production and knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order. 

The 34-year-old Albanian national, who had been living at the disused factory, pleaded guilty to both offences and was sentenced to a year in prison at Derby Crown Court on Monday 29 September. 

He will also be deported out of the country upon release. 

Sergeant Neil Dutton said: “We had numerous complaints about the strong smell of cannabis that was causing headaches for people, and officers also noted that the smell was overpowering when they attended the scene. 

“Large-scall cannabis grows like this are extremely dangerous. They often have poorly wired electrics, which are prone to ignite and cause fires.

“This case demonstrates how important it is for members of the public to provide us with information – it is the lifeblood of policing. 

“We acted on this information and in doing so managed to disrupt drugs supply into the city and take Bardhul Xhyra off of our streets.”