A MAN has admitted being involved in a large cannabis farm at a former pound shop in Worcester city centre.
Denis Voka, 24, of no fixed abode, admitted being concerned in the production of a controlled drug of class B, cannabis.
The court heard Voka was involved in the production at the cannabis farm at the former Poundland store in The Shambles between April 1 and June 6 this year.
We previously reported police found a 500-plant cannabis farm on June 6.
The cannabis farm was in the upper section of the empty shop which was cordoned off with police tape.
Staff working near the former shop said they noticed a strong smell of cannabis in the mornings.
Voka's advocate, Chaynee Hodgetts, argued for a pre-sentence report to be completed in his case, but His Honour Judge Jonathan Salmon rejected this request.
His co-accused Gjediku Kadri, 41, was not represented during the hearing and also told the court he could not speak English.
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The judge asked if Kadri wanted to be represented and Voka helped translate this to him, before the defendant indicated he did.
Judge Salmon told the pair to stand and explained Voka would be sentenced at Worcester Crown Court on July 24.
He told Kadri his case would also be heard on that date which will give him time to seek legal advice.
The pair, who were remanded in custody, appeared in the dock of Courtroom 3 during the hearing on Monday, (July 3).
Shoppers also said they could smell the drug as they passed the old pound shop which has been empty since the shop closed in March 2020.
One business owner, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “When you get here in the mornings it used to smell so strongly of the stuff and I guess now we know why.”
Officers smashed open the doors of the empty shop before they discovered hundreds of cannabis plants in the upstairs section of the building.
Police stood on guard outside the former Poundland following the discovery with shoppers and neighbouring shop staff stood watching the drama unfold.
A shopper who witnessed the police raid said: "The smell is awful, it travels around the street.
“The crash when they [the police] went in was horrendous."
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