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Cannabis farmers jailed after police raid in Ashford

By: Alex Jee ajee@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 11:35, 17 December 2020

Updated: 11:36, 19 December 2020

Two men have been jailed after being caught growing about £650,000 worth of cannabis.

Edison Cifiku and Amarildo Buzi were arrested during a dramatic police raid on an industrial unit in Lower Queens Road, Ashford.

Watch dramatic footage of the raid. Video: Kent Police

An investigation was launched after several witnesses reported a strong smell of cannabis coming from the unit, and also spotted electrical wires on the site had been bypassed.

Officers visited the site and used a thermal imaging camera which showed that the unit was giving off a huge amount of heat.

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After obtaining a warrant and carrying out the raid on Tuesday October 13, they uncovered 930 plants in what was described as "a sophisticated set up, spread across an entire warehouse".

Cifiku, 27, and Buzi, 20, both of no fixed address, were detained during the raid and charged the following day.

Both men pleaded guilty to producing cannabis, and were sentenced to three years in prison each at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday.

Edison Cifliku (L) and Amarildo Buzi (R) have been jailed. Photos: Kent Police

Investigating officer PC Harry Russell said: "These men were part of an organised crime group which was seeking to profit from the illegal sale of cannabis.

"They had clearly gone to great lengths and would have achieved a significant financial return had their cultivation made it onto the streets.

"The seizure, and the destruction, of the drug has caused significant disruption to organised criminals and the sentences imposed are entirely proportionate."

Read more: All the latest news from Ashford

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