Two Albanian men living illegally in the UK were jailed after officers uncovered more than 150 cannabis plants inside a Sunderland property.
Two men have been sentenced to prison after police uncovered a large-scale cannabis farm operating from a Sunderland home, where officers found more than 150 plants spread throughout six rooms.
Ervis Allaraj, 22, and Ronaldo Zejneli, 28, were arrested when officers executed a warrant at a property on Windsor Terrace on May 20. Inside, police discovered a sophisticated cannabis-growing operation and found the pair living in what prosecutors described as squalid conditions.
When officers searched the house, they located 153 cannabis plants along with cultivation equipment across six separate rooms. Two mobile phones were also seized during the raid.
Drug experts later estimated the crop could have produced between 4.2kg and 12.8kg of cannabis, with a potential street value ranging from £10,000 to £45,000.
At Newcastle Crown Court, prosecutors said both men had entered the UK illegally and had no legal right to remain in the country. They told investigators they had only been at the property for around a week to 10 days and had been paid to care for the plants, insisting they did not know who was behind the wider operation.
Both defendants admitted cultivating cannabis and were each sentenced to 10 months in prison.
Representing Zejneli, defence solicitor Jason Smith said his client intended to volunteer for deportation to Albania after serving his sentence. He argued Zejneli’s role was limited to carrying out maintenance tasks and said he had been exploited because of his illegal immigration status.
Allaraj’s solicitor, Emilia Boyle, told the court her client was unemployed, desperate for work and had also agreed to voluntary deportation. She said he had become involved in a criminal enterprise that extended far beyond his own role.
Passing sentence, Recorder Simon Eckersley rejected any suggestion that cannabis cultivation should be viewed as a lesser offence.
He said cannabis causes significant financial, physical and mental harm to users and their families, adding that illegal grow houses such as the Sunderland property create wider problems for local communities while fuelling organised criminal networks.
The pair are expected to face deportation proceedings after completing their prison sentences.