Two men appear in court following South Shields cannabis farm raid

Two men appeared before magistrates in South Tyneside on Tuesday, January 7, after Northumbria Police raided a cannabis farm in South Shields earlier this week.

Daut Shabanaj, 43, and Roland Shabanaj, 45, both of no fixed abode, were arrested and charged with the production of a controlled drug - Class B.

Neither of them entered a plea during the hearing at South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court and were remanded in police custody.

Both men are now due to appear at Newcastle Crown Court in early February.

The hearing followed a joint operation between Northumbria Police and the North East Regional Crime Unit on Monday morning (January 6), which saw them execute a planned warrant at an industrial unit, just off Commercial Road.

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Officers seized 2,000 cannabis plants as part of the raid, which they say had an estimated street value of around £2million.

Northumbria Police have confirmed that officers will remain at the site over the coming days to carry out inquiries and safely dismantle the farm, where the electricity had been bypassed.