Man jailed at Peterborough Crown Court after being linked to cannabis factories worth £2 million

A man has been jailed after his fingerprints were found in cannabis factories containing up to an estimated two million pounds worth of the drug.

Ardit Pali, 25, was locked up for more than a year after being linked by forensics to factories at Warboys Industrial Estate, in Warboys, near Huntingdon, on 2 May, 2021, and Sandy Industrial Estate, in Sandy, Bedfordshire, the following month.

Police have welcomed the sentence, linking drugs to other crimes and anti-social behaviour.

The court heard the first factory had 19 growing rooms, containing 1,674 cannabis plants thought to have a value of between £461,000 and £1.38 million.

The second was similar, with 15 rooms and a total of 882 cannabis plants estimated to be worth between £249,690 and £740,880.

At Warboys, Pali’s fingerprints were found on multiple light bulbs, while at Sandy, his DNA was found on numerous bulb boxes as well as a Heineken beer can.

On Tuesday (11 April), at Peterborough Crown Court, Pali, of no fixed address, was sentenced to 20 months in prison, having pleaded guilty to two counts of producing a controlled class B drug.

DC James Campbell said: “Drugs are a stain on society and cause so much harm to people who use, as well as law-abiding people who suffer from associated crime and anti-social behaviour.

“I am pleased that Pali has now been served justice and can reflect on his crimes.”