A dad caught with a £98,000 worth of cannabis in a Lanarkshire house says he was forced to look after it by London gangsters.
Edgaras Kurganovas had 228 plants and multiple bags of the drug when police raided the property in Larkhall. Hamilton Sheriff Court heard on Monday that officers were acting on intelligence when they arrived at the house in Ayr Road.
When they forced their way inside they found the class B drug being cultivated in multiple rooms, the Daily Record reports. Debt-ridden Kurganovas pled guilty to producing cannabis and being concerned in it's supply in September 2019, after being paid to live at the house by criminals.
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Chloe O'Hara, prosecuting, said: "Entry was forced and the accused was found within. Police officers found a cannabis cultivation split between the living room and two bedrooms."
The plants were worth up to £80,000 and the officers also seized two kilos of herbal cannabis with a potential value of £13,000.
Ms O'Hara added: "The accused was interviewed and stated he had been paid to reside in the property for the last three months. This was due to him having incurred a debt to unidentified individuals from the London area."
Kurganovas's lawyer Roberto Manini explained the father-of-two has now moved to LIncolnshire to live with his parter, but admitted: "He is fully aware that custody will be uppermost in the court's mind."
Sheriff Andrew McIntyre deferred sentence until next month.
He told Kurganovas: "I'll keep an open mind but you should understand that prison is a distinct possibility in a case such as this."
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