Man jailed after Skipton cannabis farm worth £670k found

Marsel Ndokaj, 21, was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to producing cannabis

A man has been jailed after a cannabis farm estimated to contain more than £670,000 worth of drugs was discovered.

Police found more than 400 plants in a converted industrial unit on Engine Shed Lane in Skipton, North Yorkshire.

Marsel Ndokaj, 21, pleaded guilty to a charge of producing cannabis and was sentenced to two years at Bradford Crown Court on Wednesday.

Judge Catherine Silverton said photographs of the premises showed that "it was indeed a professional set up".

The court heard the cannabis was being grown in three rooms and the set up included about £7,000 worth of electrical transformers as well as lighting, fans and ventilation equipment.

Ndokaj, from Albania, was the only person at the premises and was arrested as he tried to run away using a rear fire escape, the court was told.

Judge Silverton said Ndokaj had keys to the door of the premises, a mobile phone and £500 in cash was found in the bedroom area.

Prosecutor Fen Greatley-Hirsch said the electricity meter at the unit had been bypassed and the street value of the plants was estimated to be £672,000.

The court was told told Ndokaj had been recruited to be a gardener and his role had been limited.

However, Judge Silverton said the offence was so serious that immediate custody was unavoidable.