Immigration officers raid Leeds home to find kilo of cannabis and £16,000 cash

Officials went to the corner property on Frankland Place in Chapeltown to search for Ardit Brahushi, an Albanian wanted by immigration.

Leeds Crown Court heard police were also present at the raid, knocking at the property on March 15.

Ricard Telo answered, but said he needed to get dressed before granting the officers access. He then closed the door, prosecutor Jessica Lister said.

Another male then tried to flee the property at the rear, but was detained. Brahushi also appeared and was detained, along with Telo.

Following a routine search, they found £16,020 in a backpack in Brahushi’s bedroom. Hidden in the wardrobe of Telo’s bedroom was 999 grammes of cannabis in a bag.

Telo had £130 cash on him, while Brahushi had £500 in his wallet. They also had several mobile phones between them. Experts said the cannabis had a street value of up to £6,000 wholesale, and £10,000 if sold on the streets.

Telo and Brahushi, who are both Albanian, gave prepared statements during their police interview, denying any knowledge of drugs and cash.

Telo, 34, of no fixed address, later admitted a charge of dealing in cannabis. Brahushi, 30, of Goodman Street, Leeds, admitted possession of criminal property.

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Little mitigation was offered by Brahushi’s barrister, Jonathan Turner, after he pointed out that his client had already spent enough time on remand to cover whatever he would receive under the sentencing guidelines.

For Telo, who had also been held on remand, Kieran Henry said he had been in the UK for six years and had “always worked”. He said: “He had no intention of selling the drugs, he was simply the holder of the drugs.”

Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed Brahushi for eight months, and Telo for six months, meaning both would be released immediately. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) timetable was set for Brahushi to recoup any further criminal cash.