Cannabis farmer locked up after police found 135 plants growing at house in Beeston

West Yorkshire Police officers arrested Beshik Kasaj at the house on Oakley Grove, Beeston, when they executed a search warrant on July 22 this year.

Leeds Crown Court heard the plants were being grown to a "high standard" and were in different rooms of the property.

Jonathan Sharp, prosecuting, said the electricity to the house had also been bypassed.

Kasaj was arrested and made full admissions to officers that he had been responsible for looking after the plants.

The 30-year-old defendant said he had been at the house for eight weeks.

He said he had agreed to tend the plants in order to repay the people who had arranged his illegal transportation to the UK from Albania via The Netherlands.

Kasaj pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.

Natalie Banks, mitigating, said Kasaj has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty to the offence at an early stage.

Ms Banks said Kasaj travelled to the UK in the hope of finding legitimate work after he got into debt paying for his mother's funeral.

The barrister said: "His debt increased by virtue of the fact that he was brought here illegally and it was for that reason that he was carrying out this work.

Judge Robin Mairs told Kasaj: "This was for financial gain and you had some awareness of the scale of the operation."