A trio attempted to flee a drugs bust as officers uncovered a five-storey cannabis factory with a potential turnover of half a million pounds.

As police burst into the site on School Lane in Ramsgate, Shkelzen Vata, Fabio Maloku and Zylfi Hata, all of no fixed address, tried to escape via the back door.

But the criminals were swiftly apprehended before officers inspected the building which had been converted from offices into a cannabis growing and preparation space, along with living quarters.

Between the basement, three floors and the building’s attic, over 1,000 plants at different stages of growth were discovered during the raid on June 1.

Officers also found rooms filled with fans, heaters, 291 lights and other equipment used to grow and prepare the contraband for sale.

Detectives estimate that in total, the illegal vegetation could have ultimately fetched between £105,000 and £540,000.

Following an investigation by Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, the three offenders, Vata, 21, Maloku, 22, and Hata, 35, were charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis.

Hata and Maloku claimed at trial that they had been threatened by masked men and pressurised to work at the cultivation plant, but the judge rejected this explanation.

All of the crooks admitted the charges and were sentenced on Thursday 7 September at Canterbury Crown Court.

Vata, 21, who had admitted responsibility at the earliest opportunity, received a 22-month custodial sentence, while Hata and Maloku were each jailed for two years and one month.

Speaking after the sentencing hearing, DC Mark Simcox said the men’s conviction should be a warning to anyone else working to produce illegal drugs.

“A cultivation site such as the one found in Ramsgate would have produced a lot of Class B drugs, which would be used to fuel further criminality,” said DC Simcox.

“By working to find and dismantle such cultivations, we disrupt organised crime, leave them out of pocket and send a clear message that anyone found working at cultivations risks going to prison.”