Police uncovered over 900 cannabis plants in Hull, leading to arrests and potential deportations for the suspects involved
Hull: Police recently raided two homes on Dorset Street and found over 900 cannabis plants. It was quite a haul!
Three men were caught in the act, and it turns out two of them had entered the UK illegally from Albania. They might be facing deportation after serving their time.
Jasper Ooijen, 51, and his accomplices, Kujtim Ndreca, 37, and Besjan Legisi, 30, all admitted to growing cannabis at the two properties. The police found 393 plants in one house and 521 in another just a few doors down.
During the raid, officers noticed that the electricity was being stolen. Ooijen and Legisi were found at one house, while Ndreca was at the other. Each claimed they arrived after the cannabis operation was already set up.
At one location, the plants were at different growth stages, while the other had a significant amount already harvested. A police expert estimated that the yield from the 521 pots could be around 28kg!
In court, it was revealed that Ooijen had a tough past, suffering from PTSD after serving in the army. He moved to the UK in 1999 and has three sons living in Hull.
Ndreca, who came to the UK on a boat from France, said he was misled about the job opportunities here. He just wanted to work in construction.
Legisi also entered the UK illegally and had been struggling to find work. He learned the hard way that nothing comes easy.
The judge noted that while the men played a limited role, they were aware of the scale of the operation. Ooijen received a 13-month sentence, Ndreca got nine months, and Legisi was sentenced to eight months.
