A gas engineer was shocked to come across a large cannabis grow after being called to change the meter.
He rang the police after he felt there was a strong smell of drugs from a Blidworth house.
Officers were alerted and managed to gain entry to the property and found around 30 cannabis plants across two rooms, the attic and the garage, as well as more drugs in boxes.
An electricity engineer later confirmed that the meter had been bypassed illegally allowing power to the cultivation in the garage and the upstairs bedroom.
The cost of the stolen electricity was found to be close to the value of £2,500.
The landlord was shocked to be informed by police of the grow and the hefty repair bill.
The cost of the repairs due to the damage caused to the property by the offender making holes in ceilings and water damage to floors and carpets was valued at £3,455.
Langton Machacha, 36, of Northfield Road in Bristol pleaded guilty to production of drug class B (cannabis), abstraction of electricity and criminal damage.
He was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (24 February 2021).
Detective Constable Christine Hewlett said: “We work on intelligence and information from the local community and we act on anything we receive, in this incident the gas engineer called police straight away having smelt the drugs.
“We are dedicated to interrupting drug supply across Nottinghamshire, it preys on vulnerable people, fuels crime and causes nuisance to those who live nearby.
“We also found that the electricity had had been by-passed at the premises, this can put not only the offenders lives at risk with illegal and unsafe tampering of the electricity supply, but also their neighbours.
“The premises were made safe by Western Power before officers could dismantle and remove the plants.
“Drugs can have a devastating impact on people’s lives and on the community as a whole.
“I’d like to reassure the local Blidworth community that we are determined to do all we can to disrupt this type of activity and to keep them safe.
“We won’t hesitate to take robust action to target and disrupt suspected drug-related criminality in our neighbourhoods.
“We are fully committed to working with our local communities to act on intelligence and it can be that information provided to us by local people, about suspicious activity in their areas, that can be the final piece in the puzzle leading to action being taken.
“Information provided to us by local communities is vital so if you see anything suspicious in your area please report it to us by calling Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
“Alternatively you can provide information to Crimestoppers anonymously by calling 0800 555 111.”
