Two men have been jailed for creating a cannabis factory in a former fancy dress store.
A cannabis farm, featuring 300 plants worth £160,000, was discovered by police across three floors of Portsmouth’s former U Need Us store in October.
Hassan Dauti, 32, of Arundel Street, Portsmouth, and Emiljano Shehi, 40, of no fixed address, were arrested for cannabis cultivation and entering the UK without leave.
The pair were jailed for 14 months at Portsmouth Crown Court after pleading guilty to the offences.
Dauti and Shehi, who are both Albanian nationals, will be handed over to immigration services after they complete their sentences.
A Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: “Once they have completed their sentence they will be taken into custody of immigration services.”
The force spokesman said that officers were called to the address by Scottish & Southern Electricity (SSE) workers who were trying to cut off the supply to the disused shop and the plants were found after they identified a strong smell of cannabis.
Chief Inspector Sam Warne said: “Cannabis factories of this size are unusual and can pose significant risks, including fire because of the way electricity is used. Ultimately, we’ve stopped the distribution of these drugs.
“Drug supply causes harm and misery to our communities and we will continue disrupting it and making sure that our city is a hostile environment for drug dealers to operate in.”
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