Man who hid in loft during Doncaster cannabis factory raid by police is jailed

Ylli Cala said he was given £500 in cash to grow the Class B drug cannabis inside a house on Stone Cross Drive in Sprotborough.

Cala said it was his decision to help grow the cannabis, with the 23-year-old Albanian agreeing to keeping a 15 per cent profit from sales of the drug.

Dozens of plants were growing in various rooms of the property, with the drugs discovered during a rude awakening for Cala on the morning of 24 January.

After gathering intelligence on activities at the property, officers secured a drugs warrant to search the address.

An enforcer was used to gain entry, with Cala found cowering in the loft of the property.

Inside the house there were around 90 cannabis plants worth an estimated £90,000, with Cala arrested at the scene and the drugs destroyed.

He was later charged with producing and being concerned in the production of the controlled Class B drug cannabis and pleaded guilty to both offences.

Cala, of no fixed abode, was jailed for two years at Sheffield Crown Court last Thursday (22 February).

PC Yvonne Loveridge, the officer in charge of the case, said: "Cala admitted that he had a financial motive for growing the cannabis and that it was his decision to agree to cultivate the drug.

"The house was home to an elaborate growing set up and although it looks like an ordinary house from the outside, there were activities which suggested it was being used to grow cannabis.

"People might think cannabis is just a harmless drug but we know it funds organised crime.

"We will not allow these groups to terrorise our local communities and we will continue to act on intelligence we receive to execute drug warrants and keep our neighbourhoods safe."

Some of the signs that a property is being used for growing cannabis include:

Heavy smell of cannabis

Windows blacked out

Excessive condensation on windows

Blocked letterbox

Heavy use of anti-odour devices

Visitors at unusual hours; only staying for a short period of time

Signs of a property not being lived in – bins not being put out, garden not maintained etc.