THREE men who were found hiding in the loft of a Barrow hotel have been jailed for their roles in a sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation.

Ervis Hida, 32, Klajdi Muzhaqi, 20 and Olgert Bica, 35, all admitted to the production of cannabis and were jailed for 30 months at Preston Crown Court.

The court heard how police received a report of a suspicious vehicle at the rear of the Royal Hotel in Anchor Road in Barrow on October 27 this year.

The officer who attended reported a strong smell of cannabis coming from one of the windows of the closed-down property.

Further investigations by the officer revealed that a fuse box appeared to have been tampered with as he noted multiple wires coming from the box in all directions, the court heard.

As a result, the officers entered the property where they discovered 15 rooms containing cannabis plants of various stages of maturity with heat lamps and fans.

Each room contained at least 20 to 30 plants, with some containing as many as 50.

Attempts had been made to secure all entrances to the property and the rooms which the cannabis plants were housed.

As well as locating the plants, the officers also located the three defendants hiding in a loft area, who were all living at the hotel prior to their arrest.

Detective Constable Damien West said: “This significant drug production operation was uncovered thanks to some diligent police work from officers who recognised suspicious activity and literally followed their noses.

“Not only were they able to uncover the cannabis operation but were also able to arrest the three individuals hiding in a loft beneath a substantial amount of cardboard.

“This is a significant result which all stemmed from a call from a member of the public about suspicions regarding a vehicle at the premises.

“We would continue to urge the public to be our eyes and ears. Where people have suspicions of illegal activity in their community they should contact the police so officers can take action – as was the case at the Royal Hotel.”