Arait Dishani, 28, has been sentenced to 27 months in prison after being found inside a secret cannabis farm worth an estimated £220,000 in Tipton. The discovery followed a police tip-off and subsequent raid on an industrial unit at the Imex Business Park in Dudley Port.
During the raid on 30 November 2025, officers seized 220 cannabis plants, approximately five weeks old, cultivated across five rooms. The unit featured ventilation and lighting equipment, and an illegal electricity bypass was discovered. Dishani was found hiding in one of the rooms and had fingerprints on electric fans, a soft drink can, and black bin bags within the premises.
In his police interview, Dishani stated he was “staying” at the unit and later explained that his involvement in tending to the cannabis plants was motivated by a desire to support his mother’s medical expenses in Albania. As an only child, he felt compelled to assist financially.
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Dishani had a previous identical conviction for cannabis cultivation. He was sentenced to nine months imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court in October 2024, released in February 2025, and his licence period ended in May 2025. Prosecutor Mohammad Hafeez highlighted that Dishani committed the latest offence only six months after his licence ended and understood the scale of the operation was for commercial production.
Defence barrister Skaal Sidhu described Dishani as having limited English and portrayed him as someone who was mainly overseeing the premises rather than orchestrating the wider operation. He emphasised Dishani’s remorse and his intention to return to Albania, having already contacted immigration services about leaving the UK.
Sentencing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge David Perry reminded Dishani of his prior conviction and that he knew the seriousness and extent of his wrongdoing. No formal valuation was provided during the hearing, but mature cannabis plants in the UK are estimated to have a street value of around £1,000 each.
Dishani, who is of no fixed abode, was assisted in court by an Albanian interpreter and pleaded guilty to production of a class B controlled drug.