Man jailed after drone discovered over 160 cannabis plants
Tomas Rupeikis was jailed for two years
A man who grew around 160 cannabis plants in a Cheshire town has been jailed for over 2 years.
Tomas Rupeikis was caught after a police drone team spotted concerning levels of heat being generated from the address with a thermal camera.
The 47-year-old, from Taunton in Somerset, appeared at Chester Crown Court on Wednesday 26 March.
During his hearing, the court was told that on Saturday 11 January 2025, Cheshire Police were operating a drone over Jubilee Avenue, Crewe, when the thermal imaging camera highlighted a property was giving off more heat compared to the other addresses on the street.
Officers were subsequently granted a warrant by magistrates the same day and executed it at around 1.20pm.
Once inside, they located approximately 44 cannabis plants being grown on the ground floor of the property and a further 120 plants upstairs.
The plants were believed to be worth between £13,500 and £68,500.
The force subsequently conducted a warrant at the address and on the ground floor of the property found around 44 cannabis plants being grown.
Rupeikis was also present in the address and was arrested on suspicion of cultivating cannabis.
He was later sentenced to two years and four months after pleading guilty to the cultivation of class B drugs (cannabis).
All the plants seized during the warrant were destroyed.
Detective Constable Ben Harrington, of CID Proactive East, said:
“This case really does goes to show that those, like Rupeikis, who are intent on cultivating and supplying illegal drugs within our county really do have nowhere to hide from our officers who seek to bring them to justice.
“If you have any concerns or information about the growth of cannabis or the supply of illegal drugs within your area, I would strongly urge you to contact your local neighbourhood officers and we will do the rest."