Three men jailed after suspicious early morning activity in Northampton cul-de-sac leads to cannabis farm discovery

Gentjan Carku, Ardjan Mulati and Arian Pema appeared at Northampton Crown Court on November 22 for sentencing after all three were charged with one offence of conspiring to produce cannabis – a controlled Class B drug.

According to police, concerns were raised after eight people in several vehicles were seen coming and going from a Duston Wildes cul-de-sac at about 5am on Sunday, May 26, this year.

Police say, one of the vehicles outside the house was a white van, which appeared to be being loaded with suspected cannabis plants.

Three days later a 999 call was received, reporting more suspicious activity at the property. A man was seen loading boxes into a vehicle before driving off however, the van was stopped a short distance away from the property by a Northamptonshire Police Dog Unit and the sole occupant – 29-year-old Carku – was arrested.

28-year-old Ardjan Mulati and 26-year-old Arian Pema were arrested after they were found inside the house along with a small quantity of cannabis plants in one room and remnants that showed cannabis had already been harvested from other rooms.

Police say there was also evidence that the house was being prepped to grow a fresh crop of the Class B drug with new stock and equipment associated with the production of cannabis located inside the address.

All three initially pleaded not guilty, but before the jury was sworn in on Tuesday, November 12, Mulati, of no fixed address, changed his plea to guilty, and the case against him was adjourned while his two co-defendants elected to still stand trial.

On Thursday, November 21, a jury at found both Carku, of Princes Avenue in Palmers Green, and Pema, of Greens Lane in Hornsey, both in London, guilty of the single charge.

Neighbourhood policing officer, PC Lydia Chamberlain, who led the investigation, said: “I would like to thank the members of the public who contacted us about the suspicious activity at this property. It was as a direct result of their concerns which led to this conviction.

“People may think that the production of cannabis is a victimless crime, but what they don’t realise is those at the top of the chain make very large sums of money from producing and distributing the drug."

Mulati was handed a 12-month prison sentence, while Carku and Pema both received a sentence of 14 months’ imprisonment.

Carku was also fined £250 and had six penalty endorsement points added to his licence after pleading guilty to driving otherwise in accordance with a licence. He received no additional penalty for driving without third party insurance.

Carku was ordered to pay a £187 surcharge in full upon his release while the presiding judge also made a forfeiture application under Section 27 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, for £1,707.21 seized to be redirected to the Northamptonshire Community Fund, which provides financial support to charities.