A man who left his home country for a better life but ended up working in a cannabis factory will be deported once he has served a prison sentence.
Stavro Nace left Albania in the hope of finding a good job to support his struggling parents - but ended up in huge debt after forking out almost £22,000 to get to the UK.
He was found inside a house in south Wales alongside a massive crop of cannabis thought to be worth an eye-watering six figure sum.
Cardiff Crown Court heard that while the 27-year-old's role was that of a mere "gardener" that saw him simply water the plants, a judge said Nace was still nevertheless an "important cog" in the illegal operation.
Officers from South Wales Police raided the property in Taff's Well on January 23 after receiving a tip off that something dodgy was going on inside.
James Evans, prosecuting, said that detectives found Nace in a bedroom, with a mobile phone ringing beside him. When a search was carried out, 182 cannabis plants were discovered across four growing rooms - while Nace was found to have £354.10 and a used SIM card on him.
The maximum yield of the factory was estimated to be around 15kg, which has a value of around £150,000.
Construction worker Nace, who has no previous convictions, confessed to police his involvement and promptly pleaded guilty to production of cannabis to magistrates the day after his arrest.
Defending counsel, Hywel Davies said Nace came to the UK from Albania late last year, having paid £22,000 to do so.
However, after not being able to work "as he was promised" due to the Covid pandemic, he had found himself "heavily indebted" and subsequently became involved in the factory.
"He was simply the gardener," said Mr Davies. "He watered the plants, and his role did not beyond that."
"He is a skilled worker, and works in construction in Albania. He had plans to send money he made home to his parents who are struggling."
Judge Niclas Parry said that while he accepted that Nace had played a "lesser role" in the factory than others, his decision to become involved in the operation "caused great harm to people".
Nace was sentenced to 12 months in prison, and will be deported back to Albania once his jail term is up.
"You were only a cog in the wheel but a very important cog," Judge Parry said. "These plants die without people like you being left to make sure that they thrive. You made the choice, taking a risk so that you could benefit financially.
"This was a huge amount of cannabis and would have made large profits for others. I accept these would not be for you but you have played your part in what would have caused great harm to people.
He added: "I give you the maximum credit for having the good sense to plead guilty. The sentence is 12 months in custody. You will have to serve at least half and you are likely to be deported. If you re-offend or do not comply with conditions you will go back in to serve the other half."
