Two Albanian men who were “ruthlessly exploited” and put to work in a large cannabis farm set up inside a former bank in Wigton have been jailed.
Carlisle Crown Court heard how an eagle-eyed neighbour’s “Famous Five”-style detective work helped police to bring two men to book after officers unearthed a criminal enterprise which could potentially have produced nearly £400,000 worth of the illegal drug.
They found a professional, hydroponic set-up with lamps, fans, water and feed as they executed a warrant at the former Barclays building, at King Street in the town, on the morning of 9th October last year.
Ten rooms were being used for the growing of cannabis, nine of which contained plants. A total of 460 were recovered which, a detective concluded, could potentially have produced a yield of almost 19 kilos worth £386,400. There was substantial damage to the building in which there was also a living quarters comprising carpets, toilets, sinks, a washer/dryer, fridge-freezer and television.
A next-door neighbour had noted suspicious activity – including loud noises at all times of the day, blacked-out windows, people coming and going, and foreign voices – months earlier at the property.
Tim Evans, prosecuting, said of that neighbour at Carlisle Crown Court this afternoon (THURS): “With a nod, perhaps, to Famous Five-style detective work, he decides to place some branches across the rear exit of the premises to see if they moved.” They did, and a CCTV system captured other activity.
As police then raided the building, Arnaldo Lleshhi, 27, was arrested inside while 28-year-old Xhulio Mezuri was detained as he left through a rear door. Both admitted producing cannabis between January and October last year but spoke of being there for only part of that period having accrued debts through their illegal passage into the UK.
Jon Close, for Mezuri, spoke of “ruthless exploitation” being at the root of the offending, saying: “They are cannon fodder. They are not the ones making the money from this. They are the ones expected to get caught.”
Hearing both men had been in custody since October, Recorder Simon Killeen jailed Mezuri for 23 months and Lleshhi for 18 months. The judge accepted there was some exploitation and that the pair were put to work by a sophisticated criminal gang, but added: “The operation was before their eyes. They were living in it.”
