Cannabis farmers use former BHS store for £1.3m crop

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News image — Ajet Begu and Aryan Turya (L-R) were jailed at Reading Crown Court

Thames Valley Police Two mugshots, sat side by side, of Ajet Begu, who is wearing a blue jumper and has a dark beard and short dark hair, and Aryan Turya, who has a dark beard and short hair. — Ajet Begu and Aryan Turya (L-R) were jailed at Reading Crown Court

A pair of cannabis farmers who grew drugs with an estimated value of up to £1.3m in a town's former BHS store have been jailed.

Ajet Begu, 40, and Aryan Turya, 27, were growing about 1,700 plants over two floors of the unit in High Street, Slough, before police raided and dismantled the factory in January.

The pair, who are both from the Berkshire town, were jailed for a year and two months at Reading Crown Court in August after they admitted producing the class B drug.

Det Con George Randell, of Thames Valley Police (TVP), said officers were met with an "incredible sight…all hidden behind the seemingly disused building".

Thames Valley Police Many cannabis plants under bright light in the store. — About 1,700 plants were found in the disused shop in Slough's High Street

"Our intervention no doubt had a significant impact on those producing and supplying cannabis in Slough and wider, but we are continuing to investigate the cannabis factory's links to organised crime," Randell added.

TVP said the 150kg of plants had a potential street value of between £525,000 and £1.28m.