Florjan Prengezaj, 40, was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty at Folkestone magistrates to producing 141 cannabis plants at a property in Oswald Road, Dover, following concerns raised directly to a local beat officer.
Concerns passed to a neighbourhood officer led Kent Police to a residential address in Oswald Road, Dover, last month — and what officers found inside was, by any measure, a serious operation. Five rooms. Three floors. One hundred and forty-one cannabis plants.
Albanian national Florjan Prengezaj, 40, was arrested at the scene on the evening of Friday 28 August 2026. Charged the following day, he pleaded guilty at Folkestone magistrates on Monday 31 August. Eight months, immediate. The whole thing — arrest, charge, guilty plea — wrapped up in four days.
Officers from the Neighbourhood Policing Team attended after someone raised concerns directly with a beat officer about the property. From the street, the signs were already there: large items of equipment visible and lights glowing from inside. Up close, it was worse — boarded windows, the roar of industrial fans, heat radiating off the building. Inside they found high-intensity grow lights, ventilation and extraction systems, growing nutrients, the plants themselves and dried cannabis bud.
Prengezaj was present when police arrived.
Inspector Paul Barrell, of the Neighbourhood Policing Team, said offences of this kind often fuel illegal activity across wider criminal networks, and that officers would always strive to prosecute those who exploit drugs misuse. He credited the role of community intelligence and local beat officers in bringing the case to a swift conclusion.
Kent Police published details of the case on 16 September 2026.
Key information
- Anyone with concerns about suspected drug activity in their area can contact Kent Police on 101, or report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
- Signs that may indicate a cannabis cultivation include boarded-up windows, glowing lights, excessive fan noise and unusual heat from a property.