Officers raid £2million cannabis farm… which brazen criminals had set up just 800ft from a police station
- Nearly 3,000 plants were seized from a gang at a site in Southend-on-Sea, Essex
- Emiljan Gjura, 31, and Ermir Reshiti, 35, charged with producing illegal drugs
- Ch Insp Ian Hughes said bust ‘will have a big impact’ on the local drugs market
Running a giant drugs factory moments away from a police station is perhaps not the act of a criminal mastermind.
But one gang tried to do just that when they set up this cannabis farm across five industrial units just 800ft from a town’s local constabulary.
Dozens of mature plants were packed into the buildings and lined up in rows with hydroponic lights installed above them to accelerate their growth.
A cannabis farm was set up across five industrial units, pictured, just 800ft from the town’s local constabulary
Essex Police’s station in Southend-on-Sea, pictured, was a stone’s throw from the scene of the bust
Dozens of mature plants, pictured, were packed into the buildings and lined up in rows with hydroponic lights installed above them to accelerate their growth
Not surprisingly, the operation has now been busted with officers seizing nearly 3,000 plants with a street value of £2million at the site in Southend-on-Sea, Essex.
Chief Inspector Ian Hughes said: ‘I have no doubt this seizure will have a big impact on the drugs market in Southend.’
In April last year, another cannabis farm was found in the town following a tip-off.
Two men have been arrested following the latest raid.
Emiljan Gjura, 31, and Ermir Reshiti, 35, both of no fixed address, have been charged with producing illegal drugs. They have been remanded in custody.