24-year-old jailed after £120,000 worth of cannabis plants found in Clacton
143 plants were seized by officer from the address in Ottershaw Way
A 24-year-old man from Clacton has been sentenced to a year in prison after admitting to producing cannabis.
Olsi Muneka, of Ottershaw Way, was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on August 29 2023.
Officers from Clacton Community Policing Team executed a drugs raid in Ottershaw Way on July 17th, finding 143 cannabis plants worth an estimated £120,000 in the four-bedroom house.
Muneka was found to be living in the kitchen, with four upstairs bedrooms were filled with the plants.
The judge ordered for the cannabis plants to be destroyed, as well as the growing equipment that was found, including lamps and fans.
Muneka was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £187.
Tendring community policing inspector Aaron Homatopoulos says:
“Officers prevented a significant amount of cannabis from reaching the streets of Tendring when they seized those plants.
“The trade in illegal drugs, no matter what class they are, is often associated with violence and other serious crimes, which cause untold harm both to vulnerable people and to our communities.
“Cannabis grows can also pose a significant fire hazard to nearby properties. Because the electricity meter had been bypassed, our officers called UK Power Networks staff in to cut off the electricity supply to the premises before they could seize the plants.”