Exploding cans tipped off police
CANNABIS growers led armed police to their own doorstep – after exploding soft drinks cans on a hot coal barbecue.
A concerned member of the public called the police after hearing the three Red Bull cans exploding, believing them to have been gunshots being fired inside a house.
Armed officers quickly surrounded the semi-detached property in Hollydale Road, Bakersfield.
They heard loud voices from the back of the house, only to find the burst cans.
Police found two men inside surrounded by cannabis plants.
Following a search, 180 cannabis plants were seized and officers also found a large amount of fertiliser, chemicals, three mobile phones and a large amount of cash.
The two men have now been sentenced to a combined total of 40 months in jail.
Laurynas Kasputis, 22, of Hollydale Road, pleaded guilty to production of cannabis on December 18 last year and was sentenced to 20 months in prison. Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court, co-accused Karolis Jancevicius, 21, of Hollydale Road, also pleaded guilty to production of class B drugs (cannabis).
He was also sentenced to 20 months in prison.
Police said the men produced the
ARMED OFFICERS SWOOPED TO FIND CANNABIS GROW
illegal drugs, watering and feeding the plants every day and regulating the room’s temperature.
Police Constable Shemane Marsh said: “Officers arrived expecting a firearms incident, so they were shocked to come across two men at a barbecue and to find their large cannabis grow.
“This type of industrial scale of cannabis production can be linked to violent crime and exploitation of the most vulnerable in our communities.
“The illegal production of drugs is blighting our communities and will not be tolerated.
“That’s why we are as committed as ever to taking drugs off our streets and pursuing those involved in their production and distribution.”