Men caught growing £544,000 worth of cannabis in manor house 'want to go back home and educate others'
Two Eastern European men were caught growing more than half a million pounds of cannabis in a manor house.
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Lithuanian nationals Andrius Parnarauskas and Edvinas Tupikovskij were caught by police in a raid on the property in Shifnal in April last year.
Both appeared at Shrewsbury Crown Court for sentencing after each admitting one charge of being concerned in the production of a class B drug.
Kevin Jones, prosecuting, told the court the property had been specifically refurbished for the purposes of cultivating cannabis.
He said more than 430 plants were discovered in the building - worth up to £544,000.
Mr Jones explained that the house had been re-purposed with two ground-floor bedrooms for the defendants, who were on the site managing the growing of the plants.
The accommodation was described as being of a "better standard than seen in other cannabis farms".
The court heard that Parnarauskas had come to the UK legally with permission to stay for six months on a tourist visa.
But Mr Jones said that his passport had been confiscated by police in January 2023, which meant he could no longer legally work.
He said the defendant had been offered the chance to work at the cannabis farm and "had no choice but to accept".
Mr Jones added that Tupikovskij, unlike his partner in crime, had come to the country illegally looking for building work.
He said that Tupikovskij had carried out building work at the property - kitting it out ready for the illegal growing operation.
Mr Jones said: "When he finished that work he was told he could stay living there if he tended to the cannabis which was to be grown."
The upstairs of the property had been packed with a hydroponic set-up, with the walls and windows covered.
The court heard that the role of both men was to tend the plants by watering them, feeding them, and "generally caring for them".
Mr Jones said neither man received money for their work, although one had been given the use of a Nissan Navara.
Across eight rooms plants were found at various stages of growth, from 20cm to 1.5m tall.
After their arrest both men admitted the offences in police interviews.
Robert Edwards, mitigating on behalf of both defendants, said that both had pleaded guilty to the offences, and were keen to return to their home country and educate others about the dangers of getting involved in the illegal drug trade in the UK.
He added that Parnarauskas had already signed deportation papers which will see him returned when his sentence finishes, while Tupikovskij had asked to see immigration officials with the purpose of signing an agreement to go back to Lithuania.
Judge Anthony Lowe sentenced both men to 20 months in prison, although he added that time time served it is expected they will either be released immediately or in the coming weeks.
