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One landlord was taken in costly shock when he found out that his tenants, who said they were opening a cafe, had turned it into a £ 176,000 cannabis factory.
The owner believed the occupants planned to run the cafe and live in the rental house next door in Derby Road, Loughborough.
Residents had other ideas and set up an illegal cultivation operation in the two buildings, after installing an interior door connecting the two properties.
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Leicester Crown Court has learned that the owner ended up with a £ 15,000 repair bill for damage caused by the criminal enterprise.
Lucia Harrington, prosecuting, said: “Police received information at the scene and executed a search warrant on Saturday July 10 of this year.”
Cannabis has been found growing in “many rooms” throughout the terraced buildings.
The prosecutor said: “They had been adapted so that internal access could be made between the two properties.
“There were chemicals, fertilizers, high-intensity light bulbs, and the electric meter had been bypassed.
“A total of 252 cannabis plants in various stages of growth were seized, as well as three bags of vacuum-dried cannabis.
“He had an estimated weight of 14 kilograms and a potential market value of £ 176,000.”
Officers found a gardener, Kole Qershija, 31, hidden in an attic, lying face down under insulation in an attic.
Someone other than the defendant had rented out both properties, one with commercial space, using false information and falsely claiming that it was intended for accommodation and for operating a cafe.
Qershija pleaded guilty to being involved in the cultivation of cannabis and requested that a similar offense in another location, in 2019, be considered.
Miss Harrington said the previous premises were linked to a smaller crop, 30 cannabis plants, and the accused’s fingerprints were taken at the scene. He had no previous convictions.
Ben Gow, mitigating, said: “He came to this country illegally for economic reasons.
“He comes from a remote village in Albania where life is particularly hard and he was hoping to find work here in construction.
“He was aided in the UK by criminal elements and found himself in debt to them and had to pay them back by working as a cannabis gardener.
“His mother recently had a serious stroke and he wants to return home to Albania to take care of her.”
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Upon conviction, recorder James House QC said: “You need to be treated for large-scale cannabis production.
“It was a sophisticated operation that would have yielded significant profits for those responsible.
“I accept that you act under the instructions of others, but they clearly trusted you enough to be a gardener on their premises.
Qershija was jailed for 12 months.
Recorder House said: “I understand that after your conviction you will be deported.”
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