Overview
- Officers from the Chalvey, Upton and Slough Town neighbourhood teams forced entry into the disused High Street shop on January 28 and found more than 1,700 cannabis plants across two floors.
- Police say the crop had a potential yield of about 150 kg and an estimated street value of roughly £1.3 million, with an estimated wholesale value of about £525,000.
- Investigators seized specialist lighting, heating and ventilation kit and discovered on‑site living quarters that showed the operation was run at commercial scale.
- Ajet Begu, 40, and Aryan Turya, 27, were charged days after the discovery, pleaded guilty at Reading Magistrates’ Court and were jailed for 14 months each at Reading Crown Court on August 21.
- Thames Valley Police say the intervention disrupted local supply and that officers are continuing enquiries into possible organised‑crime links and the broader problem of vacant retail space being repurposed for large‑scale grows.