A man who was found in a property with five separate rooms used for growing cannabis claimed he only worked there because of threats to his family.
Adrian Voci, 25, appeared in Liverpool Crown Court on Thursday after spending seven months in custody. A court heard that on the evening of August 15, 2022, police executed a search warrant at Park Road South, Newton-Le-Willows, where upon arrival they could see ventilation systems through the window and could smell cannabis.
A man, Voci, could be seen upstairs using a torch, and after police knocked, he came to the door before realising who it was and running upstairs. He was told to open the door but refused.
READ NEXT: Boy, 15, shouts 'you fat ugly p****' at judge as he's found guilty of murder
Francis Wilmot, prosecuting, said: “Police forced open the door in order to gain entry into the house, and this defendant climbed into the loft and appeared to start damaging roof tiles to escape onto the roof. He stayed in the loft for around an hour and a half before he was arrested.
“When the address was searched, sophisticated cannabis growth was found. There were five separate growing rooms in this house.”
175 plants were seized, some flowering and some not flowering, and 50 were described as “rooted cuttings”. If grown to maturity, the plants would have produced between 5-15 kilograms of cannabis, and would be worth between £50-200K street value if sold.
During a police interview, Voci, of Park South Road, Newton-Le-Willows, disclosed that he had been in England for eight months illegally, and was originally from Albania. He said he did not have keys to his house, and had to work because of threats made to him and his family.
Voci admitted to watering the plants knowing them to be drugs but did not know what type of drugs. He stated he was solely responsible for the plants after having been taught how to look after them when he arrived at the address.
It was established that this was the second growth at the property, and others had attended to harvest the plants. He pleaded guilty to being involved in the production of cannabis on November 17 last year, and has no previous convictions in the UK or Albania.
Julian Nutter, defending, said: “He plainly regrets it. He has managed to link up with the members of his family, he will be in a position to conduct his life honestly from now on.”
In sentencing, Judge Recorder Nicola Daley said: “Given the scale of the cannabis farm that you were helping to grow, only a custodial sentence can be justified. There were five separate rooms and lots of sophisticated specialist equipment.
“You were aware of the scale of this operation which caused you to try and evade the police when you were found at that property”.
Voci was sentenced to 51 weeks imprisonment, and a deprivation order was made in relation to the drugs and other items seized.
READ NEXT
Boy, 15, storms out dock as he's found guilty of beating man to death
Hotel's perfect reply to guest who took one look at room and left
'Loner' jailed after taking hundreds of photos of women's bottoms
DWP PIP, Universal Credit and other benefit payments set to increase as new weekly rates unveiled
