A cannabis factory containing more than 400 plants was discovered by police and was being tended by an Albanian man who had come to the UK illegally. The value of the cannabis was valued up to £182,000.
Radjol Hatia, 25, was arrested at a two-storey mid-terrace house in Neath at 9.30am on February 10 where they found a large cultivation operation including lights, fans, and abstraction equipment. There were further cannabis plants in two upstairs bedrooms of the house in Pany yr Heol, Penrhiwtyn, and a small nursery of plants on the landing.
A sentencing hearing at Swansea Crown Court on Friday heard Hatia was arrested and told police he had been living at the property for six weeks and was tasked with watering the plants. He said he had entered the UK illegally on the back of a lorry two to three months ago and was working to pay off his "trafficking debt". The defendant was found in possession of keys to the house, a mobile phone, and £95 in cash.
