'My bakery dream became a nightmare when cannabis farm next door landed me with £18k energy bill'

Police shut down the Bearwood cannabis grow in unit unconnected to her business - but she's still being hounded for the electricity criminals 'abstracted'

For mum-of-one Camelia Gonciulea, opening a bakery in Bearwood should have been a dream come true. Baking pretzels and cheese pies fresh each day for her customers, she hoped to provide for her young daughter aged four.

But unbeknown to her, a cannabis farm was operating day-and-night in the same building behind her Bearwood premises, racking up a huge energy bill in the process. In 2022, only months after opening Twisty Pretzel, Ms Gonciulea was incorrectly landed with a hefty £18,000 electricity debt.

Now, after almost two years of battling to clear her name, she said she was being hounded by debt collectors threatening to take goods from her home. Meanwhile, as her business suffers and she struggles to cope with the stress, those behind the illicit grow remain on the run.

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Police uncovered £435,000-worth of plants as they raided the cannabis operation, based in a separate unit behind her premises in January this year. Electricity, police confirmed, had been 'bypassed' to power the grow, with Ms Gonciulea given a crime reference number for the 'abstraction' of her energy.

After months of back and forth contact with communications and energy firm Unicom, the energy ombudsman, citizens advice and providing the police crime number, the firm eventually cancelled the £18,000 debt. However, £5,900 in 'interest' accumulated from the incorrect bill remains. Her most recent letter from debt collectors threatened to "take control of goods."

She has pleaded with the company to close her account - which she said she never opened with the firm - remove the interest and stop the enforcement action. A Unicom spokeswoman told BirminghamLive this week it was working with Ms Gonciulea to find an "amicable solution", but she said nothing had yet been done.

The mum was initially alerted to the issue in 2022, when she was told by Unicom to pay £18,000 in electricity. "This was my dream but over time, it's become a nightmare because I don't know why this company doesn't understand," she said.

"It's affected my life. I have mental issues, I ask for help, but I don't have any help. I have demonstrated it's not my meter, but they can't demonstrate it's my debt, they just say it's my debt.

"The first debt was £18,000 from June to July. When I received this bill, I contacted them straightaway because even the usage on the bill was night time, day time use. So I know it's a mistake because I don't work at night, anyway it's huge - it's not possible."

The serial number on the bill was different to her own, she said, and this was provided as 'proof' to Unicom. But she said the company later instructed debt collectors, with the mum receiving multiple letters instructing her to pay the amount, plus interest.

She added: "I don't know how they found out, but this year the police found they made illegal activity, they made a cannabis factory. I didn't know about this activity.

"I received a letter from the debt collection, saying to pay the bill, if not they're going to go to court. From £18,000 it became £24,000." She called again and was told they would investigate and 'not to worry.'

"After that I received several letters to my business address and even on my home. From that, it started my nightmare because I started to be very stressed, I was afraid to go home because it was very stressful. I asked Citizen Advice, they spoke to the company, but nothing has happened.

"All this time, it was a nightmare for me because I have received a lot of letters with this invoice. The last letter was about managing goods, I think they want to take the goods from my home.

"I called them again and I got very angry and started to cry, I started to scream, I said it's not possible someone's coming to my house. It's two years nightmare for me.

"She said they advise me to go to court but I can't afford the law, I'm a single mother. This business is my income and I've lost a lot of money and my business now is going bad because of this situation."

After providing the crime reference number from police, and confirming the power had been cut off to that premises, she said the energy company investigated and found it wasn't her bill to pay. She said: "They cut off the power from that meter and I called this company and gave them the crime reference number.

"I contacted the energy ombudsman and I sent them every proof, with the contract from my energy from my premises. They made an investigation and found out it's not my debt. They cancelled the £18,000 but they left the interest.

"That is interest for the £18,000 which is not paid, so they have to close that account because it's not mine. I told them: 'How can you open an account in my name because I didn't ask you to provide the service?' Now it's become £5,900."

A spokeswoman for Unicom told BirminghamLive: "We remain in communication with Miss Gonciulea about this matter. The background to this matter is complex, but we are working with Miss Gonciulea to reach an amicable resolution."

West Midlands Police urged anyone with information on the cannabis grow to come forward with information. Officers had been alerted to the 435 plants at the property after attending burglary reports there.

A statement from the force read: "We were called to reports of a burglary on Bearwood Road, Smethwick on Monday, 29 January in the early hours of the morning. When officers arrived, they discovered a cannabis grow at the address over two floors totalling 435 plants.

"The electricity meter had also been bypassed to power the grow. Anyone with any information is asked to contact us via Live Chat on our website or call 101 quoting 20/183529/24."