Man sentenced following Nuneaton cannabis farm in former buffet

Watch the video of the warrant being enacted at the bottom of this page, or on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/cQxJsrwKTdg

Aleks Sinaj, 29 from North Street in Nuneaton, has been given a 20-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, and a victims’ surcharge of £187 for production of cannabis.

This is following the discovery of a 1,600-plant cannabis farm on the site of a former Asian-style buffet restaurant on Bond Street in Nuneaton on 23 July 2024.

Wholesale, it is believed the value of the plants would have been around £366,282 once harvested.

Nuneaton & Bedworth Safer Neighbourhood Team carried out the warrant on the property at around 7:45am.

The property had been fortified against entry on several of the doorways. The inside had been heavily damaged during its conversion to a cannabis grow, with lights and ventilation installed, extensive electrics running on abstracted power, and one bathroom covered in an excessive amount of spent soil.

Sinaj was spotted on the roof of the property by one of the officers, where it is believed he was attempting to escape.

At one stage and against advice, Sinaj attempted to climb down the outside of the building to the waiting officers, which resulted in Sinaj injuring his ankle.

After his arrest, he was taken to hospital for his injuries.

Sinaj said in a mostly no comment interview that he had only been at the property for three days.

PC Tom Shorthouse, Town Centre Officer from Nuneaton & Bedworth Safer Neighbourhood Team, said “That building has been immensely damaged through the course of its conversion into a cannabis farm, rendering it near useless to the local community without significant work.

“Through this job, we have taken a significant quantity of cannabis out of the market and drastically impacted the income of the gangs making money from it, but none of that fixes this brazen and massive act of vandalism.

“These are not good or upstanding members of the community – they are damaging our towns on multiple levels, and they deserve to be prosecuted for it.”