Jailed: Cannabis gardener hiding in former newspaper office with plants worth £258,000
An asylum-seeker was found hiding in old newspaper offices where there were 246 cannabis plants with an estimated value of £258,000, a court heard.
Dino Marku, 39, had been promised £10,000 for acting as a cannabis factory gardener at the former County Times offices down an alley Welshpool's Broad Street, Caernarfon Crown Court was told on Friday.
Judge Timothy Petts jailed him for 18 months and said Marku would be deported back to his homeland of Albania.
He admitted being involved in drug production after a police raid in January.
Defence counsel Alexandra Carrier said: "This defendant isn’t the brains behind the operation.”
There had been no response yet to his asylum claim and he was “exploited,” she added.
Judge Petts told Marku :”The prospect of £10,000 led you to agree to be involved.”
