Pair jailed for growing over 400 cannabis plants in Haverhill

Two men have been sentenced after being convicted of growing cannabis in Haverhill.

Kristian Qafa, aged 24, of no-fixed-abode, and Armand Ara, aged 28, of Redhill Avenue, Barnsley, (both pictured above) were sentenced at Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday, August 26, after they both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis.

Ara was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a £187 victim surcharge whilst Qafa was sentenced to six months imprisonment and ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.

PC Owen Smith from Haverhill Response Investigation Team 3 said: “These outcomes clearly reflect Suffolk Constabulary’s commitment to disrupting organised criminal activity and proactively targeting those who seek to harm our communities through the supply of illegal drugs”.

Officers made the discovery on the High Street, in Haverhill, in the early hours of Monday, July 28, after both individuals were seen by CCTV acting suspiciously at the rear of the building.

Officers attended and discovered a cannabis factory inside a commercial property containing 419 plants.

Both Ara and Qafa were arrested and taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation for questioning where they were subsequently charged with producing a controlled drug namely cannabis and abstraction of electricity.