Man jailed for 'elaborate and professional’ cannabis setup worth £100,000 in Sheffield

Stafa Besnik, 32, was arrested at a property on Holme Lane in Walkley on 20 June after police executed a drugs warrant at the address.

He was sentenced to two years and eight months in prison at Sheffield Crown Court after pleading guilty to production of a controlled drug at an earlier hearing on Monday, 22 June. The sentencing hearing took place on Friday (17 July).

Sergeant Simon Kirkham from the Sheffield north west neighbourhood policing team said: “The property had been at the centre of weeks of intelligence-gathering by officers. Once we were inside, my team found an elaborate and professional cannabis setup. The street value of the plants was around £100,000.

“Besnik had been producing and cultivating cannabis at the property for three months, shortly after moving to the city. Every room in the house was full of plants, fans and transformers – all of which was being carefully managed by Besnik.”

Besnik, of Holme Lane, who is an Albanian national, has also been ordered to pay a victim fine of £196 upon his release from prison. It is not known if he was living at the address where the cannabis farm was found.

Sgt Kirkham added: “This warrant and ultimately the sentencing of Bresnik was a result of hard work by my team but also our partners and residents. We all worked together to remove what was a huge concern for the community.

“There’s no doubt that Bresnik and this setup were part of someone’s business plan, but Bresnik was fully aware of what he was doing and deserved a custodial sentence. I hope this result empowers people to report issues and work with us, we know this is an issue for some of our communities and we’re here to help tackle those problems.”

Sgt Kirkham urged anyone who suspects a person is growing cannabis in their community to call 101 or speak to independent charity Crimestoppers.