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Sniffer pups bust £1.3m cannabis farm on visit to Leicester school

A group of trainee sniffer dogs showed off their sharp-nosed prowess when they uncovered a huge cannabis factory worth £1.3million during a workshop with young children. 

Leicestershire police were stunned after a security company specialising in the training of drug sniffer dogs informed them their pooches had turned up a major haul at a factory in Thames Street, Leicester. 

The trainee dogs had been conducting a sensory workshop for children with special education needs at the time when they repeatedly approached one wall near to an adjoining unit.

Their handlers raised the alarm after they displayed the unusual behaviour, which led to the tip off to police. 

Officers found the entire top floor of the building covered in cannabis plants with a street value of £1.3million once the workshop had ended.

Police found three men, Renald Dema, 21, Ali Hoxha, 29, and Juljan Jaku, 29, hiding in a storage cupboard during a sweep of the building. The trio were later jailed after being charged with cultivating cannabis. 

A force spokesperson said the private firm, which trains drug search and private protection dogs, had been working with youngsters to aid their sensory learning.

'During the workshop, the dogs have repeatedly gone to the wall of the adjoining unit where the cannabis was later found after the workshop had ended,' the spokesperson said

Provided by Daily Mail The trainee sniffer dogs turned up a major haul when they found a cannabis farm worth £1.3m at a factory in Thames Street, Leicester

'When officers attended the unit they found cannabis plants of various sizes with a street value of £1.3 million.'

In December, Dema, Hoxha and Jaku all admitted to illegally cultivating cannabis and were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court.

Dema, 21, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years and three months.

Hoxha, 29, of no fixed address, was given a sentence of two years and nine months, while Jaku, 24, also of no fixed address, was jailed for two-and-a-half years. 

Speaking at the conclusion of the case, Detective Inspector Ross Dimmock, of the Central Leicester neighbourhood policing area, said: 'This was a significant discovery which not only led to three people being arrested but also stopped more than a £1 million worth of drugs hitting our streets.

Provided by Daily Mail Police found three men, (left to right) Ali Hoxha, 29, Juljan Jaku, 21, and Renald Dema, 21, hiding in a storage cupboard during a sweep of the building. The trio were later jailed at Leicester Crown Court after being charged with illegally cultivating cannabis

'Those responsible for this cannabis factory thought their actions would go unnoticed and undiscovered but they were wrong.

'We would like to thank the person reporting the discovery for their assistance.

'Drugs are a blight on society and lead to criminality and the breakdown of relationships and families. We take these offences extremely seriously.'