A man has been jailed after the discovery of a second Workington cannabis factory in the space of five days.
Four men aged in their 20s and 30s were charged last week after a cannabis farm was located inside a property on the town’s Market Place. More than 200 plants with a potential value of around £388,000 were recovered.
This afternoon, a 20-year-old man appeared at Carlisle Magistrates’ Court after a second sizeable cannabis crop was found across two floors of an address on Gladstone Street on Saturday.
Albanian national Din Truni was the property’s sole occupant. A substantial cannabis grow included heat lighting, illumination, irrigation and plant food. Mr Truni was arrested and there were around 200 cannabis plants with an estimated street level value of between £56,000 and £177,000.”
From the dock, and with the assistance of an interpreter, Truni admitted being concerned in cannabis production.
The court heard Truni, of no fixed address, had arrived in the UK two months ago in a small boat after leaving Albania. He lost all possessions during his journey and had no money, accommodation, contacts and knowledge of English. He met someone and, in desperation, agreed to tend the plants at Gladstone Street.
“It is a very minor role and he was taken advantage of but there is no question of him being forced to do it, other than the circumstances he found himself in,” said defence solicitor Duncan Campbell.
District Judge John Temperley opted to pass sentence straight away, jailing Truni — who faces deportation when released — for eight months.
