Three men jailed after cannabis farms found in Faversham and Herne Bay
15:31, 27 July 2020
updated: 16:01, 27 July 2020
Dramatic footage has captured the moment police stormed a huge cannabis farm at an industrial unit.
An investigation was launched after an anonymous informant said a building at the Shipyard Industrial Estate in Faversham was being used to grow the drug.
A flyover with a police chopper confirmed suspicions as it revealed an unusual amount of heat was coming from the unit.
Officers launched an undercover investigation and saw Haxhi Gjocera, 31, and Diamant Jaku, 26, making regular visits to the gated compound.
They were also caught red-handed buying hydroponic equipment - used to grow plants - from a shop in Herne Bay before delivering it to a basement in the high street.
The inquiries led to two warrants being carried out on September 26.
Officers stormed the Faversham site and uncovered 98 mature plants and 117 saplings which had an estimated street value of £38,700.
Ajet Nerguti, 26, was also found at the scene and arrested.
Police also raided the basement of a shop in Herne Bay High Street and made a shocking discovery of a further 117 plants, worth an estimated £21,000.
Jaku was arrested on the same evening as he tried to enjoy a meal at a nearby restaurant and Gjocera was detained at a nearby address.
The trio received jail sentences totalling more than seven years when they were sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday.
Gjocera, of no fixed address, was sentenced to three years; Jaku, of Beach Road, Westgate-on-Sea, was sentenced to two years and three months; and Nerguti, of no fixed address, was sentenced to one year and 10 months.
DC Steve Brown, the investigating officer for the case, said the three men plotted to pocket a "significant amount of money".
"There is no place for such criminality in our county and, as this case shows, we will not hesitate to take robust action against people involved in supplying drugs," he added.
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