Jail for Albanian ‘gardeners’ caught hiding at £463,000 cannabis factory in Boston

Two ‘gardeners’ who admitted producing cannabis plants worth up to £463,000 at a storage unit have been jailed

Albanian nationals Ndue Marku, 32, and Redian Krutaj, 42, were caught hiding behind some of the growing equipment after police raided a property in Pen Street, Boston, on November 4.

Lincoln Crown Court heard 153 cannabis plants were found in a two storey storage unit at the rear of the property.

Anwar Nashashibi, prosecuting, told the court: "This was a professional cannabis grow.

"It included three growing rooms, a living area with a fridge and cooking materials, and a seperate toilet."

Mr Nashashibi said thermal sheets had been placed on the walls of the unit and sophisticated lights with adjustable heights had been fitted to acceletate the growth of the cannabis plants.

Fans and fliters had also been installed to reduce the smell of the cannabis grow, the court was told.

A police drugs expert estimated the value of the 153 cannabis plants seized at between £232,000 and £463,000.

Marku and Krutaj both gave no comment interviews to the police but admitted a charge of producing cannabis when they appeared at Lincoln Magistrates Court.

Tom Heath, mitigating, said both men had no previous convictions and admitted acting as gardeners for the cannabis plants over a two week period.

"They know custody is inevitable," Mr Heath said.

Passing sentence Judge Simon Hirst said: "This was a particularly sophisticated cannabis grow.

"There were thermal linings on the walls and lights with adjustable heights to accelerate the growth. There were fans and filters to reduce the smell."

Judge Hirst added: "This was an operation capable of producing significant quantities for commercial use."

Both men were jailed for eight months.