Man jailed after police found 269 cannabis plants at house in Armley as they investigated 999 call

West Yorkshire Police officers made the discovery when they went to investigate a 999 call on May 11 this year.

Leeds Crown Court heard the officers went to the house on Salisbury View, Armley, after an abandoned emergency call was traced to the property.

Sebastian Mroz answered the door and told the officers he could not speak English.

The officers tried to explain that they needed to enter the house and noticed a strong smell of cannabis as they spoke with Moz.

The plants were discovered growing in the basement and rooms on three floors of the property.

Laura Addy, prosecuting, said the plants were all in good condition and at various stages of growth.

The property was fitted with heating, lighting and other growing equipment.

Ms Addy said an electricity meter had been tampered with and an "enormous" amount of energy was being used.

A bag of white powder was found in a kitchen cabinet which was later found to be amphetamines.

While police were still present, an NHS test and trace employee called at the property to make sure Mroz was isolating as he had entered the country within the previous ten days.

Travel tags on a holdall containing his clothing were dated May 7.

Mroz was arrested and claimed he had nothing to do with the plants as he had only just arrived in the UK from Poland.

However, council tax and utility bills were found in the property in the defendant's name from the previous month.

During a police interview Mroz claimed he had been told to go to the house by another man who had arranged for him to self isolate there.

He also claimed the man must have used his identity documents to get his name put on the bills.

The defendant told officers he would be able to identify the man if he saw him but had no idea of his whereabouts and said he was only ever contacted by him from a withheld number.

Mroz pleaded guilty to producing cannabis and possession of amphetamines.

Michael Walsh, mitigating, said Mroz has no previous convictions and pleaded guilty to the offences at an early stage.

Jailing Mroz, Recorder Nicholas Lumley QC said: " At the age of 28, you have no previous convictions and you were the perfect recruit to manage and oversee the production of cannabis.

"Whether you had been involved in the original setting up of this farm may never be known.

"But you were involved in an important way at an important time.

"The scale of the drug production must have been known to you."