THE behaviour of two men removing items from a car boot aroused the suspicion of passing police officers.

When they looked into the boot of the Peugeot, parked in Gurney Street, Coundon Grange, the officers found paraphernalia used in the growth of cannabis plants.

Durham Crown Court was told an officer went to a nearby house, where one of the men seen earlier was present, at 11.30am on January 6.

Martin Towers, prosecuting, said inside the house defendant Ervin Miraka spoke to police in broken English.

He was in possession of more than £1,000, which was seized prior to a house search, revealing an operating cannabis “farm” in upstairs rooms.

The electricity meter was bypassed, providing free power supply.

Police found 101 cannabis plants believed to be between eight and ten weeks from maturity and harvest.

Depending on the yield it was believed they could fetch between £28,000 and £84,000.

Mr Towers said a police drug expert classed it, “a large scale commercial cultivation”, and believed it would not have been the first grow at those premises.

Hydroponic growing equipment worth about £3,000, if bought new, was also recovered from the house.

Miraka, 32, made no comment in interview, but he admitted charges of producing a class B drug and abstraction of electricity.

Amrit Jandoo, in mitigation, said Miraka, who has no previous convictions, was one of a number of people involved in the operation, with his client, “tasked with tending the plants and purchasing various limited equipment to see that those plants grew.”

Mr Jandoo said the Albanian-born defendant, who has a wife and son in his home country, previously worked in neighbouring European countries, “to fund a better life for his family.”

But after his visa expired he decided to come to the UK nine months ago, initially in low-level illegal work, eventually being offered payment to take part in the cannabis grow.

Judge Ray Singh said he played a “significant role”, overseeing growth of the plants.

“Firstly, you should not have been in this country.

“Secondly, having been in this country, you should not have been committing a criminal offence.

“You and others need to know significant sentences will be passed by the courts for those who are involved in this type of operation, at that level.”

Imposing a 32-month prison sentence, Judge Singh told Miraka: “You will have to serve half of that term in custody and you are then liable for automatic deportation.”

The judge also ordered forfeiture of the plants, equipment and the money seized from Miraka by police.