Gazmir Voca, 26 of Brendon Way, Nuneaton, and Klevist Allushi, 30 of no fixed abode, both received prison sentences yesterday (7 November) for cannabis cultivation.

Voca was found guilty of producing cannabis and given a 24-month prison sentence, in addition to being ordered to pay a £187 victims’ surcharge.

Voca’s grow on Brendon Way was discovered on Monday 9 October after a proactive patrol in the area knocked on the door following complaints about the strong smell of cannabis around the location.

When the officers knocked on the front door, Voca (in a visual demonstration of Newtonian principles) jumped out of the rear of the house.

He then climbed up and attempted a running escape over the rooftops of neighbouring houses, before being cornered and detained when he returned to ground level.

On entry to the address, 75 cannabis plants divided between two rooms were discovered, with an estimated street value of £42,000.

The electricity meter in the house had also been bypassed.

Voca claimed to have been raising money for his father’s surgery in Albania, and to have only been on the site in Nuneaton for five days at the time of his arrest.

Allushi was given a four-month sentence for production of cannabis, in addition to being ordered to pay a victims’ surcharge of £154.

Allushi was arrested at a cannabis grow on Grenfell Close in Leamington Spa on Monday 9 October during the enacting of a warrant, during which 167 plants were discovered.

The electricity meter here had also been bypassed.

Allushi claimed to have been taking part in the grow to fund his son’s hospital debts in Albania, having initially come to the UK in the belief that he would be able to earn better money here.

He had started working in the grow having been recruited by an organised crime gang in the UK, in exchange for a percentage of the profits.

Sgt Louise Baxter said “Organised gang bosses don’t want to get their hands dirty, and it is a sad fact that they will often get vulnerable people to run their operations. Cannabis users need to be aware that they are funding this exploitation.”

“That said, it is also vital to pay heed to the consequences of working for these gangs, whatever the reason.”

Sgt Trent McMurray of Leamington Spa SNT said “We carry out raids on cannabis grows because local communities complain to us about them – they’re sick of the violent and dangerous groups that develop strangleholds in their neighbourhoods and the misery they bring with them.

“If you suspect there might be drugs being produced in your area, do not hesitate to make a report to us online.”