Illegal pair jailed for growing drug

TWO men who were living in the UK illegally have been jailed after police discovered 240 cannabis plants with a potential street value of thousands of pounds at a house.

Officers attended an address in St James Gardens, Uplands, Swansea, on April 12 this year where they discovered 240 cannabis plants in various stages of growth along with equipment for the production of cannabis.

Pellumb Dedaj, 28, and Bery Shquti, 23, both of no fixed address, were arrested and later charged with the production of a Class B drug. They pleaded guilty at a previous hearing and were sentenced at Swansea Civic Centre on Wednesday.

Prosecution barrister Ryan Bowen told the court that the potential value of what was found at the property was between £27,000 and £104,000.

Both defendants appeared via videolink and the proceedings were relayed to them via an interpreter.

Judge Huw Rees said: “The potential value of the cannabis was significant.”

Judge Rees added that both defendants were in the UK illegally with Dedaj awaiting the decision of an asylum application and Shquti facing deportation.

“Both of you were not in control of what was going on – you were functionaries,” he said.

“The prosecution are correct in saying you would have had some information as to the scale of the operation.”

He sentenced both defendants to 12 months in prison and ordered them to each pay a victim surcharge of £187.