Cannabis farmer hid in loft

A man who was found hiding in the loft of a house that had been turned into a cannabis factory has been sentenced.

Officers were in Mountbatten Way, Peterborough, on 11 June 2021 when they saw Karolis Ceponis, 31, go inside a house they suspected might be being used to grow the class B drug.

They knocked on the door but there was no answer, so they forced entry and found the entire house had been converted into a cannabis factory.

In total, 84 cannabis plants were seized from all rooms of the house with a street value of up to £70,560. Books on growing cannabis were also found on the coffee table.

They found Ceponis hiding under the loft insulation, and he was arrested.

In police interview he admitted producing cannabis at the house, but said he was forced to do so by the Polish mafia to repay a £10,000 debt. He said they had even told him where to hide if police came to investigate.

Ceponis, of Mayors Walk, Peterborough, was charged with one count of producing cannabis and admitted the offence at Cambridge Crown Court in August.

He was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (14 November), where he was handed two years in prison, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work and complete a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

DC Paul Baxter, who investigated, said: “Ceponis thought he could hide but he was found and brought to justice. Drugs cause misery in our communities and can be the catalyst for more serious crimes and violence.

“We rely on people in our communities being our eyes and ears because we can’t be everywhere. If something doesn’t seem quite right it more than likely isn’t.

“We urge members of the public to continue reporting suspicious activity to us so we can continue to tackle and dismantle cannabis factories and make clear to criminal groups that our county is a hostile environment for them.”

There are key signs to spot a property that could be being used as a cannabis factory:

• Frequent visitors at unsocial hours throughout the day and night
• Blacked out windows or condensation on the windows, even when it is not cold outside
• Bright lights in rooms throughout the night
• Electricity metres being tampered with
• A powerful, distinctive, sweet, sticky aroma and noise from fans
• An excessive amount of plant pots, chemicals, fertilisers and compost

Anyone with any information about a potential cannabis factory, or drug dealing, can contact police online via the dedicated drugs web page or call 101.