A cannabis farmer who was in the UK illegally was paid with clothes, grooming products and trips to London and Scotland.
Rexhino Musaku was a trained mechanic in his homeland of Albania but was unable to get legitimate work here due to his immigration status. A court heard he was offered work looking after a drugs farm in Sunderland, which was busted when British Gas sent someone out over concerns about the electricity meter, which had been bypassed to power the equipment.
A worker from a company acting on behalf of the fuel supplier went to the city's Gray Road with a warrant to enter on May 24 and gained entry with the help of a locksmith. Jane Foley, prosecuting, told Newcastle Crown Court : "Once inside the property it was clear it was being used as a cannabis farm.
Read more: Gateshead thug jailed for new offence of 'intentional strangulation' after being dumped for cheating
"There were heat lamps, cooling fans and extensive cabling. The electricity meter had been bypassed and police were called."
When officers turned up four hours later, Musaku was outside trying to lock the door and was arrested. Officers found four rooms were dedicated to the production of cannabis - three of them for growing it and one as a drying room. The loft was also in the process of being converted into a useable space. In total there were 246 cannabis plants at various stages of growth.
When Musaku was interviewed, he said he came to the UK three years ago illegally and got work as a mechanic but said it dried up during the pandemic and two men offered him £1,000 to water and look after the plants.
Miss Foley said: "He said he was given a new phone, grooming products, clothes and trips to Scotland and London instead of cash." Musaku, who would not name the other men involved, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and was jailed for 20 months.
Katie Spence, defending, said: "He is a young man with a family he feels he has heavily let down back in Albania. He is incredibly disappointed in himself and I ask his remorse is taken into consideration."
Read next:
- Boss left worker with brain bleed in drunken Newcastle city centre attack
- Benwell thug attacked girlfriend after telling her: 'God has presented me to batter you'
- Gateshead football hooligan jailed for violent disorder against Black Lives Matter supporters
- Former Northumbria Police worker jailed for 'terrifying' anonymous calls threatening to stab teenager
- Cheeky thug bares bottom to judge after being jailed for threatening to kill probation officers
