Man faces trial over cannabis farm above Gloucester job centre

Police forced entry to the upper floors of the building after receiving reports from members of the public

A man arrested in connection with the discovery of a £1.9m cannabis farm above a job centre is to face trial.

Yiber Dajci, aged 42, of no fixed address, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday.

He admitted acting as a 'gardener' for the operation but denies manufacturing and producing cannabis above the JobCentre Plus building on Eastgate Street in the centre of Gloucester.

Mr Dajci was remanded in custody for trial on 19 February 2024.

The court was told that Dajci was arrested after police found 2,300 cannabis plants at different stages of development being grown across 16 rooms in the vacant upper floors of the building on 22 August.

Catherine Spedding, defending, said Dajci had claimed to have been trafficked from Albania to the UK just over a year ago.

He admits he was employed as a gardener in the building, saying he had been forced to look after the plants, but said he had no other involvement in the operation, said Ms Spedding.

Police found 2,300 cannabis plants at different stages of development

Prosecutor Lucy Stoker said that his admission was not acceptable and that a trial would be needed on the original charge of manufacturing and producing cannabis.

"If the plants had been allowed to grow to full maturity, the yield would have been valued between £600,000 and £1.9m, if sold in street deals," said Ms Stoker.