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He had to repay the debt of 20 thousand pounds, the 26-year-old Albanian is arrested in Britain

Politiko 2023-04-20 09:49:45

He had to repay the debt of 20 thousand pounds, the 26-year-old Albanian is

A man was caught growing a large cannabis plant in a Cardiff home "out of desperation" to pay off nearly £20,000 in debt. On 13 March 2023, police officers raided 21 Afrika Gardens, Cardiff and arrested Julio Shehaj, 26. 206 cannabis plants were found on the property.

A court heard that Shehaj had come from Albania - his country of birth - to the UK in late 2020 because of his debt problems and other issues involving family members. He befriended other Albanian men who introduced him to the possibility of making money through the production of cannabis and then settled on this particular property.

A Cardiff Crown Court hearing, which was held at Merthyr Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, heard the factory set-up was "sophisticated". Six rooms in the house had been converted into "growth rooms", while the kitchen had been converted into a bedroom.

Prosecutor Nik Strobl told the court that a room at the back of the property had been converted into a water room, with a 240L water tank and an electronic pump.

"Western Power attended the property and confirmed that electricity had been bypassed from the mains. The installation itself is described as very high quality with plants growing in high quality soil with ventilation and fluorescent lighting. A piece of cardboard was recovered inside the property's officers bathroom with increasing instructions," Strobl told the court.

Shehaj, who has no fixed address, was the only person present at the property at the time of the raid. Police also found a "man bag" containing six elastic bands used for packing cash, as well as mobile phones.

"It seems that these phones have been examined and after that the prosecution admits that this defendant is not a leading or leading role in this drug conspiracy," said Strobl.

The court heard that Shehaj, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty on April 12. Tarick Sidiq, mitigating, said that while he "admittedly had some awareness of the operation itself", Shehaj had "a limited function".

"He says that his role was to take care of those plants, basically to make sure that the plants were watered and then get a financial reward. The defendant out of desperation because of the money he owed in Albania therefore decided to accept it. that offer as if it were employment".

Sentencing, Recorder Neil Owen-Casey said: "This was a sophisticated operation and I am quite satisfied that the quantity of plants found in the operation in the gardens of Africa would have produced significant quantities for commercial use ... it is a feature aggravating that the electricity supply to his property in Gardens of Africa was bypassed. This means electricity was not being paid for. This also creates an inherent health and safety risk."

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