Men arrested at Folkestone cannabis site are jailed

Two men arrested in a large-scale cannabis cultivation in Folkestone have been jailed.

Gezem Shabani, 46, and Alexksander Caushi, 31, were arrested while hiding in the rafters of a building which contained more than 2,000 cannabis plants.

Both men admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday 5 September 2023 and were each jailed for 18 months.

Warrant

Kent Police carried out a warrant at the building on the Park Farm Industrial Estate on Friday 28 July 2023, breaking through sophisticated obstructions designed to stop people entering.

Inside, detectives found around 2,300 cannabis plants in various stages of development, spread over two floors, as well as heating and growing equipment and chemicals.

The growing area was hidden behind a false front office, which gave the appearance of a legitimate business.

Nobody appeared to be present in the building when police entered, but a thorough search led to officers finding Shabani and Caushi hiding in the rafters.

Disrupting criminal networks

Detective Sergeant Jay Robinson, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: 'Cannabis cultivations of this kind invariably fund criminal networks and a site of this size would have provided a large amount of funding to an organised group had we not shut it down.

'I am pleased these illegal drugs have been removed from circulation and we will continue to target drugs production sites like this one and bring to justice those involved.'