Four men have appeared in court accused of being involved in a £1.3m cannabis farm allegedly in a Newcastle home.
As previously reported on Chroniclelive, at around 1.30pm on Tuesday, police were made aware of suspicious activity at a property on Fenham Hall Drive, in Fenham. Once inside, they uncovered a cannabis farm made up of around 3,265 plants, worth around £1,370,000, spread out over three floors.
Five people were arrested at the scene and four were charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis. Ilir Cela, 24, Mario Qosjas, 37, Albric Deraj, 22, and Aurel Barpeerrja, 44, all of no fixed abode, appeared before Newcastle Magistrates' Court on Thursday.
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Jonathan Straughan, prosecuting, said the case could only be heard at the crown court and asked for it to be transferred there. Because of the nature of the charges, no pleas were taken and the men spoke only to confirm their names, dates of birth and addresses.
All were remanded in custody to next appear before Newcastle Crown Court on May 19. The fifth arrested male, aged 22, was released under investigation.
Detective Constable David Hodgson, of Northumbria Police, praised the rapid police response and said the property was one of the largest buildings he had seen used for this type of criminality. He said: “This was a sophisticated set up, hiding in plain sight and I am pleased that the farm has now been dismantled and arrests made.
“This was a big operation with around 35 growing rooms spread across the property. The yield that we seized has the potential to be worth in excess of a million, and there is the possibility there have also been further yields this year. The men using the building did not have the owner’s permission to be inside and have caused around £100,000 worth of damage as well as bypassing the electricity.
“To be clear, our communities do not benefit from these so-called business. They often funnel their proceeds into further crime, exploit people and not only pose a health and safety risk to those inside the farms but to the wider community living nearby. We are thankful that the information received allowed us to quickly dismantle the farm and seize the plants and equipment.”
Anyone with concerns about suspected criminality in their community is encouraged to contact police via the ‘Tell Us Something’ page of their website or by calling 101. In an emergency, always ring 999.
