Authorities in Norfolk recently discovered a large-scale cannabis growing operation valued at over £149,000 in various stages of development at a property in Cranworth Gardens near Ipswich Road. The discovery was made during a raid on September 10 when police found Andi Kodra, a 22-year-old Albanian who had arrived in the UK by boat, asleep on the sofa of the address. Kodra was subsequently sentenced to 30 weeks in prison after admitting to the production of cannabis. The police were able to locate the cannabis factory after receiving reports of suspicious activity made by neighbors and using a drone to assist in the investigation.
Residents of the area reported having noticed a strong smell of cannabis for some time before the police were called to the scene. Viktor Erdodi, who had lived in the area for the past 18 years, mentioned that the smell had been present for quite some time before the raid took place. He also recalled a significant police presence in Cranworth Gardens once the factory was discovered. Similarly, other residents in the area mentioned that there had been a strong police presence, with eyewitnesses reporting seven or eight police cars being in the area on the day of the discovery. A 26-year-old woman who lived in the vicinity with a child described feeling scared that such a large illegal operation had been taking place in her neighborhood. She expressed concern considering the large number of children living in that area.
During the recent sentencing hearing at Norwich Crown Court, it was revealed that four rooms of the property had been converted for the purpose of drug production, with over 100 plants found on the premises as well as plants being dried. This led Recorder Peter Guest to describe the operation as “highly sophisticated” and capable of producing commercial quantities of cannabis. The significant value of the drugs found, the sophisticated nature of the cannabis factory, and the potential harm that could have resulted from its operations underscore the seriousness of the situation and justified the severity of Kodra’s sentence. Residents in the area expressed relief that the illegal operation had been shut down and hoped that this would serve as a deterrent to those attempting to conduct similar activities in the future.
