Albanians jailed after two cannabis plantations found in Gloucester …

Andi Sela, 34, of Caesar Close, Houghton Regis, Dunstable, Bedfordshire was sentenced at Gloucester crown court yesterday (Apr 19) to forty months imprisonment while Xhavit Nelaj, 20, of no fixed address, received an 8 months sentence

Prosecutor Susan Cavander said Sela was stopped in a car in Cheltenham on January 23, last year, and was found to be in possession of 455 grams of cannabis.

Judge Rupert Lowe said he was surprised that Sela had been charged only with possession of the cannabis as there was so much of it.

“That’s a big ol’ bag of cannabis! It seems pretty bizarre that Sela has only been charged with possession,” he said.

Ms Cavender responded that Sela’s phone and home address was searched and there was no evidence of him doing any dealing in the drug. The prosecutor further explained that the landlord of a property in Victoria Street, Gloucester, went to check on his premises on September 6 last year and discovered a cannabis factory being operated from it. He immediately called the police.

“The officers found a total of 65 cannabis plants growing at the property at various stages of development along with a professional set up using specialist equipment,” said Ms Cavender.

“The value of this amount of cannabis is between £18,200 and £54,600, depending on how it was cut. A discarded cigarette butt found at the location led police to identify Sela through his DNA.

“On December 21, last year, at around 3am police were alerted to a potential break in at the back of the King’s Walk shopping centre in Gloucester and went to investigate. Two Albanian men were milling around close to the entrance and were spoken to, but eliminated from the investigation into the break in.

“The police then noticed that a doorway in Worcester Street was open and thought it could be connected to the break in.

“The police went to investigate and found another cannabis farm in full production with 102 plants at various stages of development being found. The street value of cannabis, had they been allowed to continue to full growth could have yielded between £28,560 and £85,680, depending on how it was sold.

Identification of the two Albanian men was undertaken by examining the phones found in the property and DNA evidence. Sela was identified from his DNA and Nelaj was identified through his mobile phone and DNA.

Both men gave a no comment police interview but admitted their guilt at Cheltenham Magistrates Court the following day.

Ciara McElvogue for Sela explained that he arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry in 2018.

"It was suggested that he was trafficked, but I am not putting that forward as a submission, but that he is here in this country illegally," the barrister said.

Judge Lowe interjected: “Having sat at Canterbury Crown Court I have some experience in these matters. It’s not my understanding that you can get on the back of a lorry on ‘tick’ - you have to pay up front. I have not come across a case before where somebody has been brought into the country on the back of a lorry without payment up front.”

Ms McElvogue responded: “In this case Sela was told that he would have to pay the debt of £15,000 by working in the drugs industry. This is why he is where he is today. "

Judge Lowe remarked: “That amount is a lot higher that what I understand is the going rate.”

Ms McElvogue concluded: “Sela has admitted his guilt on all offences. He accepts he will be deported back to Albania when he has served his sentence. It is his ambition to find legal employment on his return home.”

Simon Kitchen for Nelaj said his client was in a completely different position from his co-defendant and added: “Nelaj has only been in this country for a month. He arrived in the back of a lorry in November last year. He accepts he arrived illegally and he is a man of good character, both here in the UK and back in Albania.

“My understanding is that Nelaj arrived in the UK and was told he could work off his debt of £6,000 by being a ‘gardener’ for a cannabis farm. He had no involvement in running the operation and was at the bottom of the chain of command. “He didn’t think through the consequences of his actions, probably due to his age. He was told to live there and look after the plants.”

Both men have admitted producing a quantity of cannabis, a controlled drug of class B, on December 21, 2022 in Worcester Street, Gloucester.

Sela also pleaded guilty to producing a quantity of cannabis in Victoria Street, Gloucester on September 6, 2022 and to possessing 455grams of cannabis in Cheltenham on January 23, 2022.

Judge Rowe said: “You are both Albanian citizens who have entered the United Kingdom illegally. In order to make money you were cultivating cannabis for the illegal drugs market.

“Citizens of other countries are welcome into the UK if they enter legally and obey the law when they arrive. But not if they enter illegally and commit crime as you both did.

“You both entered this country illegally, at different times, without paying in advance and unusually getting credit. I find that highly implausible, though not impossible. However it is not a matter that makes a material difference to sentencing."

The judge told Sela: “You have a previous conviction for conspiracy to produce cannabis in September 2019, for which you received a 48-week prison term. I still find it incredible that you had 455 grams of cannabis but have only been charged with simple possession for your own use.

"You also need to be sentenced for two charges of cultivating cannabis. This will be a prison sentence totalling 40 months. It is likely you will be deported back to Albania once you have served your time."

Judge Lowe told Nelaj: “You had a lesser role in the Worcester Street operation being employed as a gardener. You have no previous convictions and you are a much younger man than your co-defendant. Your prison term will be eight months. Once you are ‘released from prison’ you will be in the care of the Home Office which will most likely deport you back to Albania.”

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of all drugs and paraphernalia and the confiscation of all mobile phones. He also ordered both men to pay a mandatory surcharge.

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