Dogs sniff out cannabis factory near Leicester school workshop class

Dogs helping on a workshop day for disadvantaged children have sniffed out a cannabis factory in Leicester - and it has led to three men being jailed.

Teams from a private security firm that trains cannabis sniffer dogs to root out drug searches, were helping students with special educational needs during a workshop at a unit in Thames Street last November.

But during the session, the dogs repeatedly went to the wall of an adjoining unit.

Leicestershire Police officers were called and found cannabis plants of varied sizes covering most of the top floor of the building. It's thought their street value was of more than a million pounds. 

Police found three men found hiding in a storage cupboard. Ali Hoxha, Juljan Jaku and Renald Dema were then charged with cultivating cannabis.

They all pleaded guilty to the offence in December, and all three, of no fixed address, were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court.

Dema was handed two years and three months in prison, Hoxha two years and nine months in prison and Jaku two years and six months in prison.

Detective Inspector Ross Dimmock from Central Leicester Neighbourhood Policing Area, said: "This was a significant discovery which not only led to three people being arrested but also stopped more than a £1 million worth of drugs hitting our streets.

"Those responsible for this cannabis factory thought their actions would go unnoticed and undiscovered but they were wrong."

"We would like to thank the person reporting the discovery for their assistance and support during the investigation and subsequent leading proceedings.

"Drugs are a plight on society and lead to criminality and the breakdown of relationships and families. 

"We take these offences extremely seriously and will do all in our powers to bring people to justice."