Drug deal outside pizza shop leads police straight to Sunderland and Gateshead cannabis operations

Police examined Edison Sulanjaku's mobile after they saw a man he was with involved in a drug deal outside a pizza shop in Newcastle in August 2022.

Newcastle Crown Court heard software downloaded onto his handset provided a live feed to a £805,000 cannabis farm and showed two men tending to the 2,000 plants within it.

Police were able to trace the location of the farm to an industrial unit in Dunston, Gateshead, which was raided and dismantled.

Whatapp messages found on the Sulanjaku's phone lead police to another address, at Lincoln Street in Sunderland, where they found 17 kilos of cannabis, worth up to £65,500, in vacuum sealed packages.

Sulanjaku, 26, of North Station Avenue, Houghton, who had an "operational" role in the farm, admitted production of cannabis and possession of cannabis with intent to supply and has been jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Besnik Cela, 49, of no fixed address, a "gardener" who was found hiding in a caravan at the Gateshead farm and was seen on the live stream tending to the plants, admitted production of cannabis and was jailed for 16 months.

Xhenifer Muca, 22, who was also a "gardener" at the farm and was at the Sunderland address when the vacuum packed drugs were seized, admitted production of cannabis and being concerned in the supply of it was been jailed for 18 months.

Mr Recorder Tony Hawks told them: "Cannabis farms are becoming a scourge in this area and people who are involved in their operation must expect immediate sentences of imprisonment, whatever their role may be."

Prosecutor Graham O'Sullivan told the court: "On Sunday 28th August 2022 officers were on mobile patrol in the West End of Newcastle-upon-Tyne when they stopped their unmarked vehicle outside of a takeaway pizza restaurant.

"A short while later a vehicle carrying three people pulled up in front of the police vehicle and was approached by Sulanjaku and another male on foot.

"The officers observed a drug deal take place between the occupants of the car and the male with Sulanjaku.

"The officers attempted to follow the vehicle after Sulanjaku and the other male walked into the pizza shop but lost contact so decided to return to the shop and try to locate Sulanjaku and the male.

"Both were located inside the shop and searched, Sulanjaku was found to be in possession of the keys to a car parked nearby. When searched it was found to contain receipts for hydroponic equipment.

"Sulanjaku was arrested and a mobile telephone was seized. The device was examined and officers discovered software that provided a live feed of what appeared to be a cannabis farm, two men could be seen on the footage to be tending to the plants.

"Officers were able to identify the property as an industrial unit in Gateshead and units were immediately dispatched to carry out a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

"Once access was gained to the unit a large number of cannabis plants were discovered in various stages of growth, this suggests an ongoing operation intended to produce follow on crops.

"The plants were being grown with the use of hydroponic equipment."

Mr O'Sullivan said a police expert assessed the value of the plants at the farm at between £187,600 and £805,000.

He added: "The following morning police officers attended an address on Lincoln Street in Sunderland, they had been led to the address by WhatsApp messages recovered from Sulanjaku’s mobile telephone that suggested he had arranged for delivery of cannabis plants to the address."

Mr O'Sullivan said the value of the vacuum sealed plants at the Sunderland property was assessed as between £43,300 and £65,500.

The court heard the men are all of Albanian origin and did not have previous criminal records.