Three jailed over cannabis cultivation in Ramsgate

Arvaniti Ilirjan, Ervin Zenelaj and Tom Doku

Three men arrested at a large-scale cannabis cultivation in Ramsgate have been jailed.

Kent Police carried out a warrant at a unit in Leigh Road, off Haine Road, on Wednesday 1 May and found three men inside.

They were all detained and a search was carried out of the site, leading to the discovery of more than 1,700 cannabis plants.

Police estimated the site would have been worth more than £1million to the group who ran it.

Cannabis plants discovered in Ramsgate raid

Tom Doku, Arvaniti Ilirjan and Ervin Zenelaj, who are all of no fixed address, were later charged with producing cannabis and dishonestly abstracting electricity.

All three men admitted both charges and were sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday (15 August).

Doku, 48, was jailed for one year and nine months while Ilirjan, 43, and Zenelaj, 33, both received one-year, one-month sentences.

Detective Inspector Sheena Barrell said: “The money made from sites of this kind invariably ends up in the hands of criminal groups who bring misery and disorder to our communities.

“For that reason, we will be relentless in searching out and shutting down these sites, to deprive criminal groups of the funding they provide.”