THREE men have been jailed following the discovery of one of the largest cannabis set-ups ever found in Lancashire.

Aurel Gjuzi, Sulejman Lloni and Jacek Pieczur, were sentenced to a combined total of just over 10 years at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday for their part in the production of the class B drug, which was estimated to be worth more than £2.6million.

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At 10am on Wednesday October 8 2019, police discovered a huge cannabis grow in units at the Apex Trading Estate in Darwen.

In total, officers found 4,537 plants at various stages of growth, plus 27kg of dried cannabis, which together has since been given a street value of £2,606,620.

At the time of the discovery the defendants were living in the unit on Lower Eccleshill Road, where £2,425 in cash along with a number of mobile phones was also recovered.

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Gjuzi, 25, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years.

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Lloni, 32, of no fixed address, was jailed for four year and six months.

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Pieczur, 25, of no fixed address, was jailed for three years.

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DC Vicky Heys, of East CID, said: “This is believed to be one of the largest ever cannabis farms in Lancashire with a substantial street value of cannabis being cultivated there.

"The sentences given today should send a clear message to other criminal gangs engaging in similar activity that this will not be tolerated.

“We work hard to find and close down illegal factories such as this because of the harm they cause and the associated criminal acts associated with these operations.

"We will continue to proactively target those people within our community and offenders will be put before the courts and brought to justice, as has been the case here.”

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According to police, the factory was being powered by a series of underground cables in order to bypass the electricity supply, which took Electricity Northwest 13 hours to rectify.

After the set-up had been dismantled, some of the equipment being used to cultivate the cannabis, including lamps, reflectors, bulbs, transformers and temperature gauges, was donated to Blackpool Zoo.

Clive Grunshaw, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner said: “This is a great example of the excellent work being done by Lancashire officers to keep drugs off our streets and tackle criminal gangs.

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"I hope this sends a clear message to those who are getting involved organised crime that the police have the resources, skills and determination to crack organisations like this and bring their members to justice.

“The public should be re-assured that this type of high level investigation work is taking place.

"While it is not always visible, it is happening, and achieving real results, like those we have seen in court today."

Anybody with concerns about criminality in their area should call police on 101 or report it online at doitonline.lancashire.police.uk.

Alternatively, call independent charity Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.