Telford drug farmer caught in £316,000 cannabis raid spared jail

Pranas Puidokas, aged 42, was one of five people arrested when police burst into the property in Bank Road, Wellington, Telford, to find 336 cannabis plants.

Puidokas faced justice at Shrewsbury Crown Court this week, but the other four arrested have gone into hiding.

The court heard how at around 8.40am on July 18, 2018, officers forced entry into the house. When Puidokas and two others realised the police were there, they attempted to escape by climbing onto an extension roof out of the window. One of the men, dressed in a paper suit and latex gloves, then ran towards a bedroom and tried to pick up two mobile phones as police closed in.

"It was clear to the officers that the property was being used to cultivate cannabis," said David Jackson, prosecuting.

On the ground floor, there were 170 maturing plants as well as 52 heating lamps. On the second floor there were 131 plants. There were another 35 plants which had been harvested.

A forensic scientist examined the grow and found there was 31.6kg of cannabis, worth £316,200 in 1g street deals. If it was sold in bulk by the kilogram, it would have been worth £108,000 to £217,000.

The harvested plants were found with items which would be used to package it, and the electricity in the property had been bypassed. The owner of the property, a shop which had been converted into a house of multiple occupancy, refused to co-operate with police.

Puidokas, formerly of Forest Drive East, London, but now living in Kent, pleaded guilty to producing cannabis. His alleged co-conspirators who were arrested at the time and remain on the run are 44-year-old Zydranas Jakstas, of Guests Close, Donnington, Telford, Tomas Labanauskas, aged 43, of Gorsebrook Road, Wolverhampton, Lolita Leimante, aged 34, of Harefield Road, Coventry, and Ivans Nepotocovs, aged 42, of Broad Gauge Way, Wolverhampton.

Jessica Ward, defending, said Puidokas' role was that of "gardener", meaning he was only there to cut the plants. "He says he is incredibly remorseful," she added.

Judge Anthony Lowe said he found parts of Puidokas' basis of plea "hard to believe", including that he only worked one day at week at the factory despite living in Kent. But he said he had to sentence on the basis the prosecution had accepted.

"This was a significant number of plants which have a significant yield, even if sold in bulk," the judge said.

He handed Puidokas a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, as well as 150 hours of unpaid work.