TWO JAILED AFTER POLICE RAID THREE CANNABIS FACTORIES ON ONE STREET
Police discovered ‘sophisticated’ set-up which posed a ‘significant fire hazard’
TWO men are behind bars after police raided three homes on the same street.
One of the men ran from police with nothing on his feet after they burst through the door of one of the Tunstall properties.
The raids – on Stanley Street – saw police discover three cannabis factories and seize dozens of plants.
Now Klejton Shahinaj and Kledi Hilaj have been handed jail terms for their involvements.
The Sentinel has reported how raids were carried out on March 4 this year where ‘sophisticated grows’ were found.
Now Staffordshire Police have revealed the cannabis factories were being ‘powered by dangerous electricity bypasses’ which resulted in engineers being called in.
During the sting Hilaj, of no fixed address, fled as cops burst into one house. The 24-year-old ran off barefooted only to be caught and arrested.
Inside that address officers seized 59 plants, along with 49 transformers and 49 growing lights being used to maintain the crops.
In another house, where Shahinaj, of Stoke-on-trent, was found, there were 119 plants along with transformers and ‘a sophisticated
growing set-up which was a significant fire hazard’.
Shahinaj, aged 20, admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis and was jailed for five months at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.
Hilaj admitted producing cannabis and was sentenced to eight months at the same court.
Sergeant Chris Gifford was involved in the Stanley Street raids.
He said: “Officers across Staffordshire are regularly carrying out warrants in the area, acting on intelligence and tackling community concerns on a proactive basis.
“Only by working closely with local residents and businesses can we continue to build on intelligence and address the issues that are affecting local people in Staffordshire.
“On this occasion, we were able to safely dismantle a number of sophisticated cannabis grows that posed significant safety risks to those in the area, as well as taking drugs off our streets and putting a dent in the groups responsible for growing and selling drugs in Stokeon-trent.”