Sheffield Crown Court: Cannabis farmer Ardjan Allushi jailed after police raid at St John’s Road, Rotherham

South Yorkshire Police raided a property on St John’s Road, Rotherham at around midday on June 11 this year, with officers sent to both the ‘front and back of the premises’, prosecuting barrister, Andrew Pickin, told Sheffield Crown Court.

Mr Pickin said officers to the rear of the property saw defendant, Ardjan Allushi, ‘appear’ at the kitchen window, ‘climb out of it and jump on to the ground where he was told to stop by police’.

"Officers were then able to arrest him and search the premises,” Mr Pickin told the court, adding that cannabis plants were found over six rooms, including two basement rooms containing a crop of mature plants.

“As well as the plants themselves, there were also lights and extractor fans to assist the grow, demonstrating the sophistication of the set- up,” Mr Pickin said.

The August 9 hearing heard how there were a total of 164 plants growing at the property, and a forensic report determined that the set-up would have yielded 70kg of cannabis.

Mr Pickin added: “Officers noted the property was clearly being lived in...one of the rooms had a sofa and a bed, and the kitchen cupboards were full of food.”

Despite answering ‘no comment’ to all questions in police interview, Allushi, aged 24, admitted to his involvement in the operation when he pleaded guilty to production of cannabis at an earlier hearing.

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Bianca Brasoveanu, defending, said Allushi, of St John’s Road, Rotherham was an Albanian citizen who came to the UK ‘two years ago for the purposes of practicing as a barber,’ ‘and did so as long as he could prior to the pandemic’ after which, work dried up due to the country being placed into lockdown.

"Since then he managed to obtain legitimate employment in the construction industry, however, with him not being professionally qualified, he was only able to work as a labourer and sustain himself from paycheck to paycheck by residing with friends.

"He has then got himself involved in this offending with the purposes of setting money aside to send to his family, which are still residing in Albania,” she said.

Ms Brasoveanu said Allushi’s role in the cannabis operation was limited to one of a gardener, adding that the indictment to which he pleaded guilty covers a three-month period but it is ‘clear’ the cannabis grow was ‘put together prior to this defendant’s involvement’.

Judge Graham Robinson jailed Allushi for 27 months.