A cannabis gardener found cultivating drugs at a factory in Yorkshire was later found producing weed at a second site in Wales after being released from a detention centre. The potential street value of the drugs he was in charge of was around £200,000.
Petrit Gasi, 32, was arrested by police at a cannabis factory in Maesteg on July 6 after officers forced entry into a two-storey house at 7.50pm. The living room and two upstairs bedrooms had been converted into growing rooms while Gasi slept in a small box room.
A total of 161 cannabis plants were seized and equipment was found such as lighting, fans and ventilation. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Wednesday heard the estimated yield of these plants was between 4,508g and 30,224g with a street value between £18,000 and £70,200.
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The defendant was arrested and it was revealed he had been previously arrested in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, where he had been working as a gardener at another cannabis factory. He said he had been trafficked into the UK from Albania illegally and had spent time with friends in London before being brought to the factory where he was told he would be paid £300 to look after the plants.
Prosecutor Nik Strobl said Gasi had spent a lengthy period at a detention centre after his first arrest but his release was secured by a solicitor employed by an "Albanian gang". Upon his release he was taken to Maesteg to work at another cannabis factory in order to pay off his £10,000 debt.
Mr Strobl said: "He said he was free to go but scared to leave of his own accord." During this period, the defendant failed to attend a magistrates' court hearing and was wanted on a warrant at the time of his second arrest.
In relation to the Doncaster offence, police raided a small industrial unit at 12.30pm on June 2, 2020, where Gasi and another man were found inside. Both were arrested and 135 cannabis plants were seized, as well as 102 cuttings placed in trays and pots. The potential yield of the plants was 7.43kg with a potential street value of £74,250, while the cutting had a potential yield of 5.61kg and a street value of £56,100.
Gasi, of no fixed abode, later pleaded guilty to two counts of cannabis production. The court heard he was of previous good character in both the UK and Albania.
Defence barrister Adam Sharp said his client acted as a labourer and would not have received pay due to his debt. He arrived in the UK in March 2020 and became involved in cultivating cannabis for those he was indebted to. Mr Sharp added: "He accepts he had been directed and recruited by them to operate as a gardener and the property was fitted by others with far more criminal nous."
The court heard Gasi had previously worked as a manager for a Vodafone store in Albania but after having an affair there was friction with his wife's family which led him to moving to the UK. Mr Sharp said the defendant had remanded in custody, which he found a "crushing experience".
Judge Paul Hobson told Gasi the cannabis operations were both "significant" and "substantial" and told him he may be deported by the Home Office. He sentenced the defendant to a total of 21 months imprisonment.
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