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Three Albanian gangsters who posed with a £1m cannabis haul grown in an industrial loft space in a North-West of England town have finally been jailed. Indrid Hysembelli, 26, Xhoi Kasaj, 30, and Romeo Tosca, 26, were found hiding in a loft space at an industrial unit during a police raid in June last year.

Officers found 889 cannabis plants worth an estimated £986,800 at the Bilsley Street address in Oldham and later found photos of the men posing next to piles of the illegal substance. The Albanian crooks received a combined total of eight years and six months' imprisonment after being convicted of the production of Class B drugs at Minshull Street Crown Court.

Hysembelli was jailed for three years and seven months, Tosca for two years and eight months and Kasaj was jailed for two years and three months.

Detective Constable Christopher Brown, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "This was a significant and highly organised cannabis cultivation operation, producing drugs valued at almost £1 million and posing a serious risk to the local community.

"Drug dealing is not a victimless crime. It is closely linked to violent gang activity and the exploitation of vulnerable people - serious issues that impact communities across Greater Manchester and remain a key focus of our ongoing enforcement work.

"These sentences reflect the seriousness of the offence and send a clear message that those involved in the production and supply of illegal drugs will be identified, arrested and brought before the courts.

"We will continue to act on intelligence, execute warrants like this one and disrupt organised criminal activity wherever it operates across Greater Manchester."

Officers forced entry to the Bilsley Street address on 17 June last year - where an inspection later confirmed the electricity supply had been illegally bypassed.

The building was heavily secured, requiring officers to use specialist equipment to force entry.

Greater Manchester Police said: "An inspection confirmed that the electricity supply had been illegally bypassed and connected directly to the mains at several points, resulting in a substantial amount of electricity being drawn unlawfully.

"During a search of the premises Hysembelli, Kasaj and Tosca, who are all of Albanian decent, were located hiding in the loft space, where they were subsequently arrested.

"Warrants such as this form part of our ongoing work to disrupt organised drug production and protect communities from the harm it causes."

A small living area was also found within the premises - containing four bunk beds, a cooker, fridge and a television displaying live CCTV footage from cameras positioned around the outside of the building.

The living conditions were found to be "extremely poor", police said.