Man responsible for Telford cannabis factory worth £140,000 caught by fingerprints
A man whose fingerprints were found at a house where cannabis plants with a value of more than £140,000 were seized has been jailed for two years.
More than 200 plants were found growing in every room apart from the lounge, kitchen and bathroom in the three-bed terraced home, including the loft in Telford.
Those responsible had also diverted the electricity supply.The drugs factory was discovered by police officers acting on a tip-off about smells coming from the property, in Hadley, Telford.
Equipment used to grow the plants were also confiscated during the early morning raid carried out on on March, 17, 2015.
Mr Howard Searle, prosecuting, told the hearing at Shrewsbury Crown Court that Albanian national Ndricim Vengasi was responsible for setting up the lighting at the premises.
“Police officers executed a warrant at the address where they found 223 cannabis plants. There were two different crops. A current and a follow on crop in production. Six of the rooms were being used to grow them. The only rooms where the plants were not found were the kitchen, the bathroom and the living room,” said Mr Searle.
“Those six rooms were used for the commercial growth of cannabis. The defendant was linked to the operation by by way of fingerprint from the the lighting systems. In addition the officers recovered documents which suggested a schedule for feeding and watering,” Mr Searle added.
The court was told that Vengasi, 35, also known as Nikolaos Batis, was not the gardener for the set up.
“The defendant was arrested and interviewed on February 2. He was arrested at St Pancras, in London, trying to get into France using a false passport and received an eight-month prison sentence. When he was interviewed he denied knowing about the about the cannabis,” Mr Searle added.
The haul comprised a total of 21kg of cannabis with an estimated value of £143,000 which Mr Searle told the court would have “greater value” if sold on the street.
He said the crime put Vengasi in category two of the sentencing guidelines due to the significant quantity of plants and the commercial use.
Mr Charles Crinion, for Vengasi, said: “He was there to set up as the fingerprint evidence shows, but he was not involved in the management of the crops.”
He said Vengasi arrived in the UK in 2013 and was staying with relatives,in Cardiff, while carrying out casual work. He added that a warrant had been issued for the arrest of another man suspected of being the gardener of the operation after he failed to surrender to court after being given bail.
Judge Jim Tindal at Shrewsbury Crown Court ordered the forfeiture of £675 in cash seized from him on arrest. He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the plants.
Ndricim Vengasi, 35, who appeared via prison video link, was jailed for two years after admitting an offence of producing cannabis.
A further offence was withdrawn after the Crown Prosecution Service offered no evidence.
