Pair jailed over Whitehaven ex-post office cannabis farm

The judge described it as a "sophisticated farm"

Two men involved in a cannabis farm worth more than £540,000 in a Cumbrian town centre have each been jailed for more than three years.

More than 770 cannabis plants and 600 seedlings were found inside the former post office building in Lowther Street, Whitehaven, in May.

The farm had air filtration and electrical systems and was across 30 rooms on three floors of the premises.

Two men who pleaded guilty to producing cannabis were jailed for 40 months.

Police discovered the farm after being alerted to a suspicious van parked in the area.

The driver, Xhona Leka, 28, was spoken to and ran off but was caught running along the A66. The van was found to be full of freshly cut cannabis plants.

Gjergi Braculla, 40, was found asleep inside a nearby vehicle in which a voltmeter and large fuses were also discovered.

Carlisle Crown Court heard the power supply to the building had been cut the previous day because of problems with the grid.

Prosecutor Robert Wyn Jones said: "It is the crown's case the two defendants were harvesting the crop before it died."

Both men had lost construction jobs and had become involved with the drugs to support themselves and their families, the court heard.

Leka, of The Dene, Wembley, North London, and Braculla, of Archduke Place, New Maldon, Kingston upon Thames, both pleaded guilty to producing cannabis. Leka also admitted possessing the class B drug with intent to supply.

Recorder Jeremy Lasker jailed them for 40 months each.

He said: "Someone had spent considerably effort in setting up a sophisticated farm. The two of you clearly had a significant role to play."