Police found a sophisticated “commercial scale” cannabis factory that was producing huge supplies of drugs that could have been worth a lucrative £46,600 on the streets.
The 66 cannabis plants were all up to 4ft tall and they were being looked after by a man who was brought to this country illegally by “unscrupulous people traffickers”. The gang members were “greedy, intimidating” people who threatened him with violence unless he acted as a gardener for the plants, Hull Crown Court heard.
Gentian Gerbolli, 21, of no fixed address, but recently in custody on remand, admitted producing cannabis on November 6.
Michael Masson, prosecuting, said that police executed a drugs warrant at a house in Langtree Close, Bransholme, Hull, and found Gerbolli, an Albanian national, in a room off the upstairs landing. He was the sole occupant.
Police discovered 66 cannabis plants in various rooms. “Each of the plants was described as being between three and four feet high,” said Mr Masson.
Equipment in the rooms included hydroponics, lighting and fertiliser. “Police also discovered that the electricity had been bypassed, with various sockets in rooms to enable power to lighting and fans,” said Mr Masson.
“Officials from Northern Powergrid were required to attend the property to isolate the electricity. Two mobile phones were seized along with cash that totalled approximately £100. The cupboards were stocked with food.
“It appeared that the defendant had been living in an upstairs bedroom and could come and go as he pleased.” The estimated yield from a possible 4.62kg of cannabis was £46,620.
“The defendant played an operational function within a chain,” said Mr Masson. Gerbolli told police that he had been in the country for two years before being arrested. He had no previous convictions.
Steven Garth, mitigating, said that Gerbolli played a limited role under direction. “This young man was recruited to tend to the plants,” said Mr Garth.
“He was a gardener and nothing more than that. He had very little understanding of the scale of the operation. This was not a warehouse full of plants. This was not a number of greenhouses producing cannabis.
“He is an illegal immigrant. The defendant came to this country to build a better life for himself by finding work. He was brought to this country by unscrupulous people traffickers – greedy, intimidating people seeking only enrichment for themselves.
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“They charged this young man £25,000 to transport him from Albania and get him into the United Kingdom. He did not have such a large amount of money and the majority of the £25,000 simply became a debt.”
Mr Garth told the court: “At first, he lived in London and he had a friend there but he soon found himself unemployed, penniless and living almost in poverty. His debt to the traffickers increased daily.
“It was then that members of the trafficking gang approached him. They warned him that he had to start to repay his debt, otherwise there would be dire consequences. Violence was threatened.
“The gang, or members of the gang, took him to the house in Hull. It was already set up as a cannabis factory. The electricity was already being abstracted.
“The defendant was instructed that he was to tend and look after the plants. He was to be a gardener. He did not want to do that work and did not want to get involved at all but he was being threatened and he was desperate and so he cooperated.
“In return, all he gained was a roof over his head, for he lived at this house. He received food and he began to reduce his debt to the traffickers. He gained nothing else. When he was arrested, he was pleased because he then knew that his ordeal was coming towards an end.”
Judge Alexander Menary said that cannabis was being produced at the house on a “commercial scale” with Gerbolli looking after the plants. “You knew what you were doing was wrong and you had been there for about two-and-a-half months,” said Judge Menary.
Gerbolli was jailed for 16 months.