Drug gang jailed after raids across Leeds and Wakefield following tip-off from neighbours

Officers raided two addresses more than a year apart and found links between the two operations, prosecutor David Povall told Leeds Crown Court this week.

Following a tip-off from neighbours, police attended an address on Tong Road in Armley on August 8, 2020.

On arrival, they found Adrian Kozera opening the door to the property while holding drug-growing equipment.

They detained the 28-year-old and went inside where they found three other men, including 39-year-old Lucasz Kowalski.

Spread across both upstairs bedrooms they found 56 cannabis plants, worth at least £25,000, along with hydroponic equipment for growing the drug.

They then searched Kowalski's home address in Leeds where they found the remanence of a small cannabis grow.

During his police interview, he denied any knowledge of the cannabis grow at his home, claiming he sub-letted the property to another man. He gave no comments when quizzed further.

On September 22 last year, acting on another tip-off, police raided a house on Silcoates Street in Wakefield, where they found two bedrooms full of cannabis plants.

There were 60 in total, worth another £25,000. The electricity had also been bypassed.

The occupant, 31-year-old Piotr Zebala was arrested, but documents found in the house also linked him to Kowalski.

Again they raided Kowalski's home and found 2.4kg of dried and packed cannabis in his kitchen's boiler cupboard. That was worth more than £16,000.

They also found a box addressed to Kozera, which contained cannabis-growing equipment and around £1,000 in cash.

Zebala, of Silcoates Street, Wakefield, admitted cultivation of cannabis, abstracting electricity and possession of cannabis with an intent to supply.

Kozera, of Beckhill Gate, Leeds, admitted production of cannabis.

Kowalski, of Sycamore Fold, Beeston, Leeds, admitted production of cannabis.

Mitigating for Zebala, Aubrey Sampson said his client made full admissions and had no previous convictions.

For Kozera, Imran Khan said he was a HGV driver who had a child on the way and had stayed out of trouble since his arrest.

Also representing Kowalski, Mr Khan said: "He realised the mistake of getting involved and says he will never trouble the court again. He has learned his lesson."

Judge Ray Singh told Kowalski that his insistence that he did not know about a cannabis grow in his own home as "fanciful" and that his excuse "beggars belief".

He jailed Kowalksi for 32 months and Zebala for 27 months. The pair have been held on remand in HMP Leeds since September.

Kozera was given 24 months' jail, suspended for 24 months and handed 180 hours of unpaid work.

The two other men arrested during the first raid failed to answer bail and are still at large.

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