Police found a huge haul of 842 cannabis plants that were potentially capable of producing drugs worth “hundreds of thousands of pounds” as part of a lucrative and “massive” commercial operation.
The plants were spread across seven rooms at a house in Strickland Street, Hull, and two men were in charge of looking after them at the secret cannabis factory, a court heard.
Armando Hidri, 31, of Bellingdon Road, Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and Alfred Gjika, 43, of no fixed address, admitted being involved in the production of cannabis between October 1 and December 30. Hidri also admitted acquiring criminal property.
Stephen Welch, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that the two Albanian men were arrested by Humberside Police’s Operation Kinetic Intervention Team on December 30. Cannabis plants were spread across seven rooms at the large property in Strickland Street, off Hessle Road, west Hull. The house had shutters.
Six people were arrested, with four others released by police with no further action. Hidri and Gjika were aware of the scale of the cannabis growing operation, claimed Mr Welch.
“The defendant Gjika says he was itinerant and was provided with accommodation in return for looking after the cannabis,” said Mr Welch. The cannabis had a “massive valuation” but the two men claimed that they happened to stumble on it and were asked to water the plants. “That is inconceivable that they were left to it,” said Mr Welch.
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Natalie Dean, representing Hidri, said that he admitted the offence on the basis that he had no influence within the organisation. Hidri had accepted his role as a courier.
“He never met them,” said Miss Dean. “It was all done over the phone. He was offered payment, but never received anything.”
Judge Gurdial Singh said that “as a matter of common sense” only people trusted by the people running the enterprise would be involved.
“The people who are going to reap the profits by growing on such a massive scale are not going to employ complete strangers to look after their massive investment,” said Judge Singh.
Hidri was jailed for two years and three months and Gjika was jailed for two years. They were both already in custody on remand.