A cannabis farmer was found trying to hide among ventilation in the loft of a property where he was tending 118 plants.

Police had gone to disused commercial premises in The Oval, West Cornforth, following an anonymous call over the suspected presence of cannabis plants, on July 30.

Durham Crown Court heard that on knocking to seek entry to the flat above former shop premises, there was no answer, although there was the sound of movement from within the property.

Cainan Lonsdale, prosecuting, said the officers, therefore, forced entry and it soon became evident they had come across a fairly large-scale cannabis farm, with plants in various stages of growth.

(Image: Durham Constabulary)

It was well equipped with the lighting and ventilation of a sophisticated cannabis grow, while the electricity meter had been bypassed to provide free power for the operation.

Two of the downstairs rooms in the former commercial property and one room upstairs were given over to the grow, while other rooms appeared to be in the process of being made ready for an "expansion" in the operation.

A fridge and cupboards were found fully stocked, suggesting the property was inhabited.

Mr Lonsdale said it was only later that defendant Mirjan Disha was found trying to hide in the loft area and he was arrested.

On being searched he was found in possession of keys to the property and to an unknown motor vehicle, while he also had a mobile phone.

A drugs expert checking the “crop” said many of the plants were within weeks of maturity, with a potential yield of between three and 9.9kg.

Mr Lonsdale said at wholesale rates it could net between £20,000 and £60,000, but at street-level prices there would be the potential to make up to £99,000 from the crop alone.

It was thought that about £13,000-worth of equipment was being used in the property to assist in the cannabis cultivation.

The 24-year-old defendant, previously of Chatham, in Kent, admitted a single count of production of a class B drug.

Mr Lonsdale said there was no record of him having any other convictions in this country.

Elisha Marsay, in mitigation, said the defendant, of Albanian origin, entered the country illegally and worked in car washes before being approached with the offer of different employment, including accommodation and food.

He agreed and was driven to the location of the grow in County Durham about a month earlier, when he soon became aware of the scale of the operation.

Miss Marsay said the defendant told her that those above him in the operation would visit every day to ensure he remained at the address, and was following his instructions to water the plants, while they also replenished his food supplies.

Although he had keys to the property, he told her he would have been too scared to have tried to leave and had no influence on those above him in the chain.

Miss Marsay said by the time of the police visit, while he had been kept stocked with food, he had received no financial reward.

She added that since his arrest, the defendant now just wants to return to his family home in Albania in the hope of finding work, possibly in marketing.

(Image: Durham Constabulary)

Judge Nathan Adams said the defendant was, “the custodian” of the cannabis farm uncovered by police in late July.

“Not only did you come to this country unlawfully, but you have no right to be here.

“You were a willing participant in this operation, expecting some financial reward.

“Behaviour of this sort crosses the custody threshold, it’s only a case of how long it merits.”

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Judge Adams imposed a 20-month prison sentence and told the defendant he would serve about 40-per cent before being eligible for release.

The judge said Disha is then likely to face automatic deportation back to Albania as an illegal entrant to this country, having committed a crime while here unlawfully.

A confiscation and deprivation order was made for the plants and growing equipment recovered from the property by police.