Man who farmed cannabis plants 'for honour' jailed

Police found 287 cannabis plants at a house in Gateshead in May (file photo)

A man who farmed cannabis plants worth up to £105,000 out of "honour" to repay a debt has been jailed for 20 months

Albanian national Arben Kolgjoku, 47, said it was part of his culture that people worked to pay off debts, which he did by tending to the illegal grow at a house in Gateshead after owing £7,000.

The married father-of-two, of no fixed abode, admitted the production of cannabis.

He will be automatically returned to Albania upon his release from prison, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Kevin Wardlaw said police raided a three-storey home on Windmill Way on 17 May, which had been turned into a cannabis farm.

They found 283 plants worth up to £105,000 and a further 127 cuttings in a makeshift nursery in a cupboard, the court heard.

'Very sorry'

Mr Wardlaw said Kolgjoku, who had been in the UK for three years, admitted his involvement on the basis the farm had been set up by somebody else and his role was only to "tend to, water and feed" the plants.

The court heard he racked up a £7,000 debt after getting a loan to pay for medical treatment for his wife, who lives in Albania.

Kolgjoku said in his culture it was "deemed a matter of personal pride and honour" to work to pay off a debt and "his parents brought him up to never walk away from his responsibilities and obligations", Mr Wardlaw said.

He refused to say who he owed the money to for fear of repercussions, the prosecutor added.

In mitigation, Rachel Hedworth said Kolgjoku was "very sorry", had learned his lesson and would be automatically returned to Albania upon his release.

She said he was the son of farmers, got a degree in biochemistry and worked as a bodyguard in his home country and in agriculture in Italy, before coming to the UK.