Sheffield Crown Court: Cash-strapped immigrant ended up overseeing South Yorkshire cannabis farm

Sheffield Crown Court heard on November 23 how Andi Zogu, aged 30, was found by police with a co-accused at a property on St John's Road, Laughton-en-le-Morthen, in Rotherham, with 164 cannabis plants and growing equipment.

Prosecuting barrister James Yearsley said: “At approximately 11.50am, on Saturday, June 11, 2022, police officers attended St John's Road, Rotherham. Officers attended both the front and rear of the premises to prevent any occupant escaping or disposing of evidence.”

Zogu's co-accused Ardjan Allushi was seen climbing out of a window but officers grabbed him and Zogu was found hiding in the basement of the property.

Mr Yearsley added: “The basement consisted of two rooms full of mature cannabis plants and the walls were lined with foil. All three bedrooms of the house were full of mature cannabis plants. A further room on the ground floor had cannabis that had only recently been planted.”

Each of these rooms were equipped with multiple lights, extractors and transformers which were used to help grow the cannabis plants.

A police expert confirmed that the 164 cannabis plants recovered from the property were valued at between £73,860 and £110,520.

Zogu, of St John’s Road, at Laughton-en-le-Morthen, in Rotherham, who has no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to producing the class B drug cannabis.

Leila Taleb, defending, said: “He would have had knowledge of the scale of the operation but he did not have the keys to the treasure if I can put it like that.

“Mr Zogu tells me that the operation was set up before he got there as in the case of the co-defendant. The sad reality of such cases is that people low down in the chain, like the defendants in this case, pay the price.

“He tells me he was in the UK one year and two months prior to committing the offence. Prior to committing the offence he was working as a casual labourer in the construction industry and at various car washes.”

Ms Taleb added that Zogu, whose poorly mother had just a heart operation, is sorry but he had a debt hanging over him related to his entry to the UK and he had just wanted to start a better life.

She added: “He was not forced into this situation, but if I may say, circumstances forced his hand and he felt he had no alternative but to become involved in this criminal enterprise.”

Judge Graham Robinson, who had also previously jailed Zogu's co-defendant for overseeing the same cannabis plants, sentenced Zogu to 27 months of custody.

Allushi, 24, of St John’s Road, Rotherham, had admitted to his involvement in the operation when he pleaded guilty to production of cannabis at an earlier hearing.

Judge Robinson acknowledged that Zogu and his co-defendant had been at the bottom of the chain and that the large cannabis operation, which needed two people to look after, had already been in place when Zogu had arrived at the property.