Three drug dealers jailed after melting snow on rooftop gives cannabis factory away

Three man have been sent to prison after a £1.25m cannabis factory was spotted by officers who noticed snow had melted on their roof.

Recent wintry conditions had meant a large dumping of snow in the area except at one property, where on further inspection police found a huge cannabis production operation inside.

Thirteen rooms in the building housed 1,482 plants, which also posed a risk of fire and damage to the property.

Three men were arrested at the scene in Chapel Street in Kirkby-in-Ashfield on 28 April 2021.

Aurel Koltraka, 30, Ledion Subashi, 27 and Kreshnik Batusha, 22 - all of no fixed address - pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and were jailed for 14 months each at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday May 28, 2021.

They found a man holding a torch inside and quickly detained him before discovering the sophisticated grow with fans, ducting and sheeting inside. It was also being protected by a CCTV system connected to the offenders’ mobile phones.

Police Constable Luke Bettridge who led the investigation said: "Our suspicions were raised when we noticed that there was no snow on the large three-storey building, despite all neighbouring houses being covered.

We were worried that there was a significant risk of fire and serious damage to the property and we quickly attended to investigate.

We are glad to see three more men locked up for their crimes and taken out of the drug supply chain which in turn reduces the amount of drugs being taken in our communities.

Drug offences simply won't be tolerated in Nottinghamshire and we will do everything in our power to track down offenders and bring them to justice."