Six men from the Ipswich area charged after cannabis factory discovered in Arcade Street in the town

Six men have been charged after a cannabis factory was discovered in Ipswich on Friday.

Police responded to information from the public and went to a property on Arcade Street at around midday where they made six arrests in connection with the incident.

It is thought around 400 to 600 plants were in the property.

All six are men were arrested on suspicion of cultivation of cannabis and were taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

The six men have now all been charged with the production of cannabis in contravention of section 4(1) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 between October 1, 2023 and January 12, 2024.

The men are:

Sander Paloka aged 36 and of no fixed abode but from the Ipswich area.

Kristian Kaza, aged 28 and of no fixed abode but from the Ipswich area.

Kristian Lleshi, aged 28 and of no fixed abode but from the Ipswich area.

Florent Tukaj, aged 25 and of no fixed abode but from the Ipswich area

Dorjan Gjorka, aged 28 and of no fixed abode but from the Ipswich area.

Anxhelo Preci aged 28 and of no fixed abode but from the Ipswich area.

They have all been remanded to appear before Ipswich Magistrates Court tomorrow at 10am.

Inspector Dan Fiske from Ipswich Police said: “This information from the public enabled us to develop the intelligence and obtain the warrant which ultimately produced this find. This sort of information is the lifeblood of our work and is invaluable in helping us build a picture of criminal activity.

"We’re always very grateful for the support from the community. The location of the cannabis factory was a busy location in the town centre and may have caused some disruption.

“I’d like to thank the public for their patience while we conducted necessary initial enquiries, in particular those local businesses who facilitated us access to their properties. The cordon that was in place on the property has now been removed.“

Officers from the force’s response, firearms and proactive Kestrel team were in attendance, supported by CID investigation officers.