Cannabis plants were discovered at an address where an Albanian man was staying after he had been threatened by a criminal gang. Around 70 plants were discovered in total and being cultivated for onward supply.
Shpetim Maloku, 45, was discovered at a house in Newport on March 26 this year and attempted to escape before he was found in a nearby garden. Upon entering the property in Cecil Sharp Road police also discovered equipment including lights and fans as well as fresh food, bedding, and clothing which suggested the house was occupied.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Maloku was arrested and interviewed. He told police he had been in the UK for 18 months on a travel visa. Upon travelling to Luton he began working in a car wash where he was approached by a group of Albanian men.
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Prosecutor Emma Harris said the defendant was offered work by them in the construction industry. He was taken to an address in Newport and told the men about his family in Albania. They threatened him and his family if he did not work for them as a cannabis gardener.
Maloku, of no fixed abode, was told to water the plants every three days and his phone and passport were taken from him. The men returned every few days to deliver food but he remained at the property. He later pleaded guilty to cannabis production. In mitigation Stephen Thomas said his client would likely be deported as a result of his offending.
Sentencing, Judge David Wynn Morgan said: "It's quite evident you were recruited by more criminally sophisticated individuals to work as a gardener at these premises. These criminals use people like you to avoid being detected themselves and avoid the consequences of being detected which is an inevitable custodial sentence. Custodial sentences are imposed to deter people like you in attempting to assist."
Maloku was sentenced to eight months imprisonment. He will serve half the sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.
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