Man jailed after two-house cannabis grow uncovered

Florjan Ceka was handed a sentence of 20 months at Lincoln Crown Court

An illegal immigrant who was caught after police seized more than 800 cannabis plants worth up to £477,000 from two houses in Boston has been jailed.

Florjan Ceka, 34, was found hiding behind a shower curtain when police raided the neighbouring properties in St Bedes Drive on 17 December.

Police had been tipped off by National Grid staff who suspected the electricity supply to the properties had been tampered with and became aware of the smell of cannabis, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

Ceka, of no fixed address, who had admitted a charge of producing cannabis on 17 December, was jailed for 20 months on Thursday.

Ceka was discovered in the bathroom of number 61 St Bedes Drive and after a search police found the keys to number 59 next door, the court was told.

Officers searched both properties and discovered 831 cannabis plants in multiple rooms.

A police drugs expert estimated the potential value of the cannabis at between £135,000 and £477,000.

'Not brains of operation'

During his police interview, Ceka said he arrived in the UK 15 days earlier after coming from Albania illegally.

He told police he began working as a construction worker but after a week was then ordered to the property in St Bedes Drive to pay of his £23,000 debt for being smuggled into the UK.

The court heard Ceka was jailed for 16 months in May 2022 for a similar offence after he was caught at a cannabis grow in Leeds.

Tom Heath, mitigating, told the court: "After being convicted of a similar offence... he went back to Albania but then came back into this country.

"He has family back in Albania and doesn't seem to be the brains of this operation.

"Although there was financial gain in paying back a debt for his illegal entry, he wasn't living a life of luxury."

Passing sentence, Recorder James Bide-Thomas said: "This was a sophisticated cannabis growing operation across two properties."

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