A rogue tenant has tried to bribe two letting agents with hush money after they discovered his cannabis growing factory.

Anisi Hamollari, 25, paid a cash deposit of £6,438 to rent a three-bedroom house in Exeter: he then converted it into a cannabis factory.

When neighbours complained about the smell, the agents – who have not been named – were alerted.

Local news website Devon Live reports that Hamollari offered the agents £7,000 but fled when they turned down his offer.

Police found 97 cannabis plants with a potential value of £200,000.

Hamollari, an Albanian in the UK illegally, was eventually tracked down in the Midlands last December. He was using a false Italian identity.

Damage to the property was put at £15,000; Devon and Cornwall Police seized £2,839 when the Hamollari was arrested. He must pay that as compensation for trashing the house.

Hamollari has now been jailed for 18 months.

You can see the Devon Live story here.