Drone tracks down man in shed after drugs raid

More than 500 cannabis plants were found during the raid

A cannabis grower who was tracked by a drone after running from a police raid was caught hiding in a garden shed.

Denis Vrapi, 25, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to production of a controlled Class B drug after officers found more than 500 cannabis plants at a building in Wheatley, Doncaster, on 27 March.

The drone pilot followed Vrapi as he attempted to flee the scene by jumping over garden fences and climbing onto a roof, before he was arrested by pursuing officers who found him in the shed.

He was remanded in custody by Doncaster magistrates on 28 March ahead of a sentencing hearing at Sheffield Crown Court on 22 April.

Sgt Steve Roberts, of the local policing team, said the cannabis cultivation was an "elaborate" set-up.

"[Grows] the size of this one are often controlled by organised crime groups who are responsible for some of the violence and terror we see play out on our streets," he said.

"These cannabis cultivations are also linked to modern slavery, as they are known to exploit vulnerable people who are forced to commit to looking after these grows."

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North