Ashford drug dealer jailed after hiding secret cultivation behind cupboard door

Growing illegal drugs in a hidden room accessible via a small cupboard door has led to a jail sentence for an Ashford resident.

As part of an investigation into serious organised crime, Kent Police carried out a warrant at a property in Riverbank Way on Tuesday 4 August 2026.

As police entered the front door, Marius Dardha tried to run out of the house into the back garden but was stopped by waiting officers and arrested.

Within the property, five separate rooms were found to have been modified in order to produce cannabis. It included a secret room hidden behind false walls which could be accessed by crawling through the cupboard of a living room sideboard. Around 250 mature plants were seized.

Examination of Dardha’s phone also showed photos and videos of the plants which suggested he had been involved in supplying the class B drug since September 2025.

Sentenced

The 33 year old Albanian national was charged with production of cannabis which he admitted in court.

On Tuesday 20 October at Canterbury Crown Court, Dardha, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Heather Walkden said:

‘In the house, there were a lot of adjustments to create these illicit grow rooms, and any other space seemed to be used for cultivation waste storage. As a result, the house was in a poor state and the bypassing of electrics to run the cultivation could have posed a serious safety risk for the neighbours as well. Cultivations such as these are created to help fund serious crime and overall has a noticeable detrimental impact on the wider community. ‘Officers are skilled at locating such cultivations, so quickly found the hidden room behind the sideboard’s cupboard door. Unfortunately for Dardha, the only door he will now see for the time being will be the one to a prison cell.’