Exeter drugs gang jailed

They had £3 million weed factory

Two members of a drugs gang from Exeter have been sentenced for their part in cultivating one of the biggest commercial productions of cannabis seen in Devon and Cornwall.

Zurafet Lika, 26, of no fixed abode, and Sajmir Mata, 41, from Exeter, were both found guilty of cultivating cannabis and each sentenced to two years and three months in prison.

They were arrested following a police raid at a property on Barnfield Hill in Exeter in November last year.

Three other men, Osman Hakorja, aged 31 from London, Geraldo Mali, aged 25 from Exeter, and Mohamed Troci, aged 27 of no fixed abode were also arrested at the property and were sentenced on Friday 1 April after admitting their roles in the operation.

On 17 November 2021, four of the men were arrested at the property on suspicion of the cultivation of cannabis and concerned in the supply of cannabis. Hakorja was located and stopped shortly after on his way back to London on the A303 near Andover by Hampshire Police.

The court heard how the gang had been under surveillance when officers carried out the house raid and discovered the huge cannabis grow. Every room in the ten-bed house was used to grow over 500 plants. A particularly sophisticated ventilation system (pictured) was used which had been made possible after the driveway had been dug up connect the electricity cables to the main street supply. This was noted by Western Power to be incredibly dangerous and something they had not seen before.

The set-up at the address was estimated to have provided a yield of around £3 million a year as a recurring grow with the wholesale value just shy of £250,000 and a street value of just under £500,000.

A vast amount of equipment was also located which had been used at the property along with a number of new and unused items, all estimated between £17,000 and £28,000. Other equipment found at the location, including bags of soil and plant food, was estimated at around £4500.

The Serious and Organised Crime Team carried out detailed phone work which had been seized from each of the men which uncovered the scale of the operation.

Investigating office DC Tracey Stafford said: "The arrests, charges and subsequent convictions of these individuals by the Serious and Organised Crime Team is the result of an investigation into one of the biggest commercial productions of cannabis in Devon and Cornwall.

“The sheer scale of the production shows what can happen in our force area and goes to show that any class of drug will not be tolerated in Devon and Cornwall.

“We have relied on the public’s assistance, information intelligence and the dedication and tireless work of our team in this investigation. We are committed to taking positive action."

Alison Hernandez, Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly said: “Drug use and dealing is one of our communities’ primary concerns and a priority in my Police and Crime Plan.

"This seizure take a huge quantity of drugs out of circulation and reminds us that serious and organised criminals are behind the drugs trade. I’d like to say a big ‘well done’ to the officers whose hard work has led to this conviction and hope this reassures residents of Devon and Cornwall that when they report drugs offences they are listened to.”