Cannabis gardener found in Telford with £300k of drugs 'wanted to be caught' to get deported
An Albanian cannabis 'gardener' caught inside a former Telford business building with up to £300,000 of plants wanted to get caught so he could be deported, a court was told.
Ilirjan Xhelo, 29, was found by police when they raided the former Wrekin Building Supplies premises in Telford on December 20.
Appearing at Shrewsbury Crown Court on Thursday, Xhelo pleaded guilty to one count of producing a quantity of cannabis.
Rosemary Proctor, prosecuting, said that after breaking the doors down at the site officers found Xhelo inside, along with hundreds of cannabis plants in different stages of production.
There were a total of 398 plants in various stages of growth, as well as 212 cannabis cuttings, and 120 harvested plants and stems.
