Illegal immigrant working on Sunderland cannabis farm to pay off debts caught by police hiding in loft

Elton Bekteshi initially tried to flee when he heard cops raiding the property in Hetton-le-Hole, Tyne and Wear, on April 9. Newcastle Crown Court heard the 28-year-old had been tasked with the role as gardener of the crop, where 141 plants were found.

The defendant had entered the country in March 2024 and had found work at a car wash and building site in London in an effort to pay off the £20,000 it cost him to migrate. But the court heard the rate of pay wasn't deemed high enough by bosses and he was instead brought to the North East to work on the cannabis farm.

Prosecutor Cainan Lonsdale told the court the potential yield of the plants could have reached up to £57,500. He told the court: "On the ninth of April at twenty past ten in the morning, police attended 29 Market Street in Hetton-le-Hole.

"After gaining entry they found in the property a cannabis farm. Plants were found on the ground floor and in the loft area. In total in the property there were 141 plants along with the usual growing apparatus and 341 pounds in cash.

"The property had CCTV covering both the front and the rear of that property which linked to a TV in the living room area. There were four rooms being used to grow cannabis all in various stages of growth."

Mr Lonsdale added that three packages of harvested cannabis were found which could have fetched between £1,200 and £1,400. He added: "The plants found had an expected value of between £12,250 to £57,500 depending on the yield obtained.

"The defendant tried to flee the property when officers arrived but instead hid in the loft area where he was eventually found by police." Bekteshi, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to producing a class B drug.

Judge Edward Bindloss said the offending was so serious only immediate prison could be imposed and sentenced him to 20 months behind bars. The judge told him: "In March 2024 you came to the UK illegally. You were working in the country illegally.

"You said you were working in a car wash and you said you were working on a building site but it had cost you £20,000 to enter the UK and you weren't paying them back fast enough and they brought you up from London to the north east and placed you at a cannabis farm where you operated as the gardener for two months.

“You tried to run away and hid in the loft from the police. This was capable of producing significant amounts of cannabis on a large scale."

Jason Smith, defending, told the court it was accepted that Bekteshi arrived in the UK illegally but that he had no knowledge of any activities higher up the chain of the drugs operation. Mr Smith added: "He maintained he was given very little option but to enter into this employment.

“He has no other previous convictions reordered."

Judge Bindloss told the defendant he would likely face deportation after his release.