£1.6m cannabis farm operated next to Carlisle Crown Court

The 'industrial scale' growing operation – complete with professional lighting and watering systems – was being run from a former nightclub and powered by stolen electricity worth a staggering £11,000 per day.

The four Albanian men running the 'farm' were all put before the crown court after they pleaded guilty to cannabis production.

In the dock were 29-year-old Nikolin Progni, 42-year-old Klaudio Lekndreaj, 28-year-old Klaurent Lena and the youngest defendant, 22-year-old Andrea Vukaj.

Prosecutor Gerard Rogerson described how on July 6 this year police raided the former Soul in the City nightclub which opens on to St Paul’s Lane, at the rear of the crown court and a short walk from Lonsdale Street.

Inside the building they found a huge cannabis farm, described by one detective involved in the case as a 'complete cuttings to street' growing operation.

The crop consisted of 778 plants, with a potential street value of £1.66m.

Just part of the crop of nearly 800 cannabis plans found at the Carlisle city centre cannabis farm. (Image: Newsquest)

'Considerable expense' and 'attention to detail' had gone into creating the growing operation, said Mr Rogerson.

“It was noted that a CCTV monitoring system had been set up around the entirety of the premises, both inside and out,” he said.

“The police officers went into the building and found a number of rooms in darkness and several rooms set up for active cannabis production.”

The defendants had been provided with living quarters, that included beds, a table, and wardrobes; and a kitchen, where a pan of pasta was boiling away as police entered the building.

Mr Rogerson said: “The living area was well-equipped, with cupboards and a fridge freezer, and food. There was also a separate bathroom; the area was very clean; and there was a laundry room, with a washing machine in mid-cycle.

“In those two rooms, there were clean clothes and also aftershave.” The growing room walls had been lined with heavy-duty white sheets, to reflect the light from 277 high-wattage lighting systems.

There were also carbon filters, extractor fans, and a plentiful supply of growing nutrients. Other parts of the building were dedicated to packaging equipment.

Police found a sophisticated cannabis farm hidden behind the door of this former Carlisle nightclub, just yards from the city's crown court.

Mr Rogerson continued: “The electricity supply to Carlisle city centre had been tapped into; and [a detective] says that the daily electricity cost for providing the light alone for 62 of the plants would have been £927.”

The farm’s sophistication suggested that those in charge had considerable experience of growing and marketing cannabis, the court heard. The crop seized by police was considered capable of producing 166,200g of cannabis.

When interviewed by the police, none of the men would comment on the operation or who was behind it, said Mr Rogerson, adding that what police found on the day of the raid was an “industrial scale” cannabis growing operation.

Kate Hunter, defending, said: “They were acting under directions from somebody more sophisticated than they were.

"There were elements of intimidation and pressure. Mr Progni mentions the CCTV monitoring them. They was exploitation in how they entered the UK and they had no influence on the chain above them.”

Police found the cannabis farm just yards from the city's crown court.

Andrew Gurney, for Lekndreaj, said he came to the country illegally because he wanted to start a better life and financially support his family. He had also expressed remorse.

Recorder Tony Hawks said: “This was a sophisticated cannabis farm, set up and run by people who knew exactly what they were doing.

"Cannabis farms are a scourge on this country and people who involve themselves in cannabis farming can expect to go to prison immediately.”

He jailed all four defendants for three years.

The Recorder added that the defendants will all be automatically deported when they are released from jail at the half-way point in their three-year sentences.