Two men have each been jailed for over a year after a cannabis factory was discovered in Portsmouth City Centre in October 2025.

On Thursday 30 October police were called to the former ‘U Need Us’ store on Arundel Street in Portsmouth’s city centre by Scottish & Southern Electricity (SSE) who were trying to cut off the supply to the disused building. When police arrived and forced entry a strong smell of cannabis was noted, and a search of the premises was undertaken. As entry was being gained, a man was seen on the roof of the building, which could only be accessed from inside.  – the only access point for which is through the premises itself.

In total more than 300 cannabis plants were located over three floors in the building with a value of up to £160,000. Two men were arrested inside the building and the plants were subsequently removed and destroyed.

Hassan Dauti, 32, of Arundel Street in Portsmouth and Emiljano Shehi, 40, of no fixed address were subsequently charged with cannabis cultivation and knowingly entering the UK without leave. Both men are are originally from Albania. They both pled guilty to the offences at Portsmouth Crown Court on 1 December 2025.

At the same court on Friday 9 January 2026 they were both sentenced to 14 months imprisonment in relation to the cannabis cultivation. Once they have completed their sentence they will be taken into custody of immigration services.

Chief Inspector Sam Warne from Portsmouth’s Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “We’re committed to relentlessly pursuing those that cause the most harm to our communities. The supply of drugs is one such offence and significant resources were used to dismantle the factory, which extended over three floors in the building, and carry out this investigation. It’s a good reminder that if you see anything suspicious relating to vacant buildings in the city, please report it to us. I’m pleased that we managed to prevent further harm to our communities from the criminality that surrounds these kinds of incidents.

“Cannabis factories of this size are unusual and can pose significant risks, including fire because of the way electricity is used. Ultimately, we’ve stopped the distribution of these drugs. Drug supply causes harm and misery to our communities and we will continue disrupting it and making sure that our city is a hostile environment for drug dealers to operate in.

“We encourage anyone who suspects drug related activity to be taking place in their neighbourhood to report it to us. Every piece of information helps us to build a stronger intelligence picture and allows us to take action”.

You can make a report by calling 101 or by visiting our website https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

Alternatively, you can report to Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website https://crimestoppers-uk.org/