Police who raided the upper floors of the Job Centre Plus offices in the centre of Gloucester found a £1.9million cannabis factory being run by a 42 year old Albanian man, it was alleged at the city Crown Court last Friday (September 22).

Ylber Dajci, aged 42, of no fixed abode, admitted being 'gainfully employed' as a gardener in the cannabis factory on the corner of Eastgate Street and Brunswick Road in the heart of Gloucester.

For many years the building housed Gloucester's Argos store and was a focal point of the city shopping centre but currently it is the home of Job Centre Plus.

The court was told that Dajci was found amongst 2,300 cannabis plants at different stages of development that were being grown across 16 rooms in the vacant upper floors of the building on August 22, 2023.

Dajci denied that between August 17 and 22, 2023, he manufactured and produced a large quantity of cannabis in Eastgate Street, Gloucester, but he did admit that he was acting as the gardener for the operation between the same dates.

Prosecutor Lucy Stoker said that his admission was not acceptable and that a trial would be needed on the original charge. She added that because the plants were at different stages of development it was not easy to assess the value.

"But if the plants had been allowed to grow to full maturity, the yield would have been valued between £600,000 and £1.9million, if sold in street deals," said Ms Stoker.

The prosecutor explained that the police forced an entry to the building on Monday August 21, after receiving reports from members of the public.

She explained that the electric meter to the upper floors of the building had been bypassed and that extensive electrical work had also been undertaken inside the building.

Catherine Spedding, defending, stated that Dajci claims to have been trafficked from Albania to the UK just over a year ago. He admits he was employed as a gardener in the building, having been forced to undertake the role to look after the plants. He had no other involvement in the operation, she said.

Dajci was remanded in custody to await a jury trial starting on February 19, 2024.