Albanian illegal migrant grew £150k cannabis farm in Orford house

Ismen Keca performed the role of a ‘gardener’ in ensuring the health of the drug factory – operating on two floors of a residential house in Orford.

The 32-year-old, who the court heard is awaiting the decision of his asylum application, was told he could be deported after his spell in prison.

He was jailed on a charge of production of cannabis, with it being said that he performed a significant role in a profitable illegal operation.

Keca appeared at Liverpool Crown Court, via videolink from HM Prison Altcourse and assisted by an Albanian interpreter after claiming not to understand English, to be sentenced on Friday, June 9.

The court was informed by prosecutor Dean Criddle how the Albanian national was arrested on April 13 this year, after police raided an address on Newton Road in Orford.

Officers executing the drugs warrant discovered that the property had a reinforced door to protect the cannabis plants they found inside.

They gained entry however and saw Keca attempting to flee the property to the rear. He was later arrested in a garden of an address on nearby Elm Road.

A search of the Newton Road home showed that the electricity meter had been bypassed, with two cannabis grows on the ground floor and a further two on the first, all assisted by growing equipment.

In total, 152 cannabis plants were being grown, with evidence that the property had been used for an ongoing grow, with this not being the first yield.

Experts calculated that the 152 plants would yield between 4kg and 12.5kg of cannabis, with a value of between £16,000 and £150,000, depending on whether it was sold at wholesale rates or street dealing retail.

Photos from inside the house show the scale of the operation

Keca gave no comment to questions asked of him during his police interview, but during the court proceedings it was said that he earned £300 in his three weeks involved in the operation.

Mr Criddle said: “Clearly this was an operation capable of producing significant quantities of drugs for commercial use, with elements of Keca playing a significant role.

“He had an operational function in charge of watering and tending to the plants, with an expectation of a significant financial advantage.

“He was aware of the scale of the operation, he knew it was illegal, he tried to get out when police got in and he was not forced to work there or kept in impoverished conditions – he chose to work there to earn money.”

On behalf of Keca, the court heard from Ben Stanley, defending, who said: “I start with his best piece of mitigation which is his early guilty plea.

“He came to the UK in September from Albania and entered an asylum claim, and he is formally waiting to see if immigration authorities will extend his right to stay.”

The court heard how he borrowed £7,000 to be smuggled into the country, originally being based in London before being relocated to the north west, where he was put to work in the cannabis factory to pay the money back.

It was added that his sole involvement was watering the plants and turning the lights on and off, working effectively as a gardener.

His wife and two young children are still in Albania, and he was hoping to send money back to them, the court was told.

Before sentencing, judge Anil Murray said: “The prosecution say this is a significant role case in that you must have been aware of the scale of the operation and that the drugs were owned by a criminal organised group for sale for profit.

“You are an Albanian national and have not been granted leave to stay here, so no punishment in the community is viable. Clearly this has to be an immediate custodial sentence.

Photos from inside the house show the scale of the operation

“I do not know if you will be released in this country or deported, but if you are released in this country, you will be on licence.

“Should you breach the terms of your licence or commit more offences, you can be recalled to prison.”

Keca, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, while the court approved an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis plants and drug paraphernalia.

When asked previously by the Warrington Guardian whether illegal migrants who commit offences in the town will be deported, the Home Office said it does not comment on individual cases.

However, a spokesman said: “Foreign national offenders who exploit our system and commit crimes here in the UK will face the full force of the law, including deportation at the earliest opportunity for those eligible.”

They added that the Home Office deals with ‘significant and complex challenges’ when seeking to return those who have no right to be in the UK to their country of origin or lawful place of return.

“These challenges can include travel documentation, late applications including modern slavery claims, late appeals and broader non-compliance with a lawful returns process,” they said.

“We only return those with no legal right to remain in the UK, including foreign national offenders.

“Individuals are only returned to their country of origin when the Home Office and, where applicable the courts, deem it is safe to do so.

“The Illegal Migration Bill will change the law so that people who come to the UK illegally can be detained and then swiftly returned to a safe third country, or their home country, so we can stop the boats.”