Man jailed after £200,000 cannabis haul found in overweight van on A1

A man has been jailed for more than three years after police stopped an overweight van on the A1 and uncovered cannabis worth up to £200,000.

Officers from the Road Policing Unit spotted a white Mercedes Sprinter box van travelling southbound near Norman Cross on 2 March.

The vehicle was pulled over at the DVSA weighbridge in Sawtry, where passenger Gjok Ndrevetaj told officers it was carrying commercial waste.

But when police searched the back of the van, they discovered eight boxes containing cannabis with an estimated street value of up to £200,000.

Officers also found plant pots, soil, clippings and boxes for heating equipment, believed to be remnants of a cannabis factory.

Ndrevetaj, 33, of Heygate Avenue in Southend-on-Sea, appeared at Huntingdon Law Courts on Tuesday 20 October.

He was sentenced to three years and four months in prison after previously pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

Detective Constable Natalia Bochnacka, who investigated the case, said:

"This case highlights how a routine stop for an overweight vehicle can uncover much more serious criminality.

"The discovery of the cannabis alongside the remnants of a cannabis factory demonstrates the scale of the operation.

"We are committed to disrupting the supply of illegal drugs and bringing those responsible before the courts."