A cannabis gardener woke to the sight of police standing over him after his home was raided.
Albjon Proi was fast asleep in a downstairs room when officers charged into the property in Brinkhill Crescent, Clifton.
That’s after the address was highlighted as potentially housing a cannabis grow, with a warrant then executed as a result.
Within a few seconds, police pulled up in a van outside, used a ram to break through the front door, and rushed inside the house.
While one set of officers woke and detained Proi, the others spread out to search the rest of home, where their suspicions were confirmed.
Around 190 cannabis plants were discovered growing across three rooms – each of which had been fitted with fans and other growing equipment.
Electricity was also found to have been dangerously bypassed across the address during the raid on the morning of 8 October this year.
City South Neighbourhood Policing Team officers executed the warrant, with the support of Tactical Support Group (TSG) colleagues.
All the drugs and growing equipment were removed from the property – as was Proi, who was led away in handcuffs before being put in the back of a police van.
The 27-year-old appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (6 November), having pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.
Proi, of Brinkhill Crescent, Clifton, was subsequently jailed for two years and four months.
Inspector Steve Dalby, City South Neighbourhood Policing Inspector, said:
“When it comes to confirming suspicions around drug activity, these types of warrants are among the best tools at our disposal in neighbourhood policing.
“Taking this one as an example, our officers were able to arrive at the address, force entry, detain an offender and discover quantities of drugs all within the space of a few seconds.
“As the footage of this raid showed, our teams moved so quickly that the man we were after – Albjon Proi – only realised what was happening when we were standing right next to him.
“Cannabis grows like this one bring nothing but trouble to communities, while also providing a very real and very dangerous fire risk to neighbouring residents.
“That’s why these warrants are so important and why Proi has now received the custodial sentence he has for his cannabis growing exploits.”
