Gardener who 'only watered' plants at £380,000 Leeds house cannabis farm jailed for playing 'integral' part

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A cannabis farmer who claims he “only watered” the plants at a Leeds-house operation has been jailed for more than two years after the judge said he still played an integral role.

Illegal immigrant Kostandin Larushi owed a debt to traffickers so was put to work tending to the £380,000 farm in Roundhay.

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Officers forced their way into the property on Oakwood Lane on September 29 due to the pungent smell of the plants, Leeds Crown Court heard.

They found Larushi hiding behind curtains upstairs. He was arrested and told officers he was put to work because he owed £22,000 to the gang who brought him over from Albania.

Larushi (pictured) was jailed for working on a £380,000 cannabis farm in Roundhay (pics by WYP / National World)Larushi (pictured) was jailed for working on a £380,000 cannabis farm in Roundhay (pics by WYP / National World)
Larushi (pictured) was jailed for working on a £380,000 cannabis farm in Roundhay (pics by WYP / National World) | WYP / National World

Five rooms of the house were turned over to growing cannabis, with 343 plants in total. A large bag of dried cannabis was found, along with the usual set up of transformers, lights, fans, filters and timers. The electricity had also been bypassed.

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Experts found the farm was capable of producing almost 33 kgs of the drug, with a street value £328,722.

Larushi admitted production of cannabis. He has no previous convictions. Mitigating, Eddison Flint said it was a “typical situation” in that he came to the UK in search of a better life.

He said: “He was not forced to work there but felt he had no other option to make sure his family back home were safe.”

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He said he has remorse and his stint in prison left him “riddled with anxiety”.

Appearing in court via video link from HMP Leeds, and through an interpreter, Larushi maintained he was only there to water the plants.

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Judge Ray Singh told him: “It was a production line in which you were an integral part. For those who say ‘all I did was water the plants’, I’m afraid you are an important part of that production.

“You knew exactly what the ramifications were if you were caught.”

He jailed him for 26 months.

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