FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
Police, who were notified of a suspected cannabis farm, discovered 820 plants and an Albanian hiding in the attic.
Mirlan Palushaj , who arrived in the UK on a visa in June, found himself homeless after gambling and spending his money on alcohol, has now been sentenced to 22 months in prison and will be deported.
Neighbors living next to an unused house on Gibbet Street in Halifax told police they could smell cannabis and that noises coming from the attic sounded like fans.
They had also seen vehicles coming and going "at odd times."
When police went to the large house, which was near a church and a rest house, they saw that all but one of the windows had been covered and the doors were wrapped in silver tape.
Through the mailbox they saw that the main door had been sealed with silver tape and plastic sheeting.
No one reacted when the officers knocked on the door and so they forced their way in.
Prosecutor Elizabeth Noble told Bradford Crown Court: “When they entered, there was a strong smell of cannabis and the front and back doors were sealed with plastic sheeting from the inside.
"They found a large cannabis farm across the property with 820 plants in various stages of growth.
These plants were scattered throughout nine rooms of the property.
All rooms were equipped with fans, lighting, ventilation, transformers and plant care products, and the electricity supply was bypassed.
"Police seized two vacuum-sealed bags of dried cannabis. There was even more cannabis hanging, ready for the drying process. Another 42 bags of cannabis were sent for destruction," the Prosecutor said.
Palushaj was found hiding and arrested.
During questioning, he said he had arrived in the UK two months ago on a visa but was struggling financially due to gambling and alcohol addiction.
He said he was begging on the streets of Manchester when he was approached by two men who offered him food and then took him to Halifax.
He said that his only duty was to water the plants and that he received no financial benefit, as he did this work under threat.
He claimed to have lost all his documents in London and to have only been at the house in Halifax for three or four days.
Miss Noble said checks showed he had arrived in the UK on June 11 on a 6-month visa.
She said he performed a limited function in the cultivation of cannabis, which was capable of producing "industrial quantities" of the drug, and described his role as that of a gardener.
She said the scale of the cultivation was illustrated by both packaged and dried cannabis.
Lawyer Imran Khan argued that the farm was on a substantial scale and not industrial, as it was not fully automated and required Palushaj to be on site to water the plants and turn on the lights.
He said Palushaj, a 43-year-old father of four, left Albania to “explore” the United Kingdom and, while here, “gambled and drank until he had no money left.”
He ended up on the street where he lost his documentation.
Khan said: “He had no choice but to go with individuals he didn't know and felt embarrassed to call his family to tell them about the situation he was in.”
Judge Kirstie Watson said the cannabis farm was a professional facility to maximise the growth of the drug, but that it was not on an industrial scale.
She sentenced Palushaj to 22 months in prison and told him: "I am convinced that your presence in this country is harmful to the community. You came to this country and committed a criminal act. And for that reason I recommend to the Secretary of State that you be deported unless you are subject to the automatic deportation provision."
Speaking through a translator, Palushaj replied: “My goal is to return to Albania.”
Judge Watson ordered the confiscation and destruction of all seized cannabis and associated equipment.
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