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An Albanian Arts graduate in his native country was caught looking after cannabis in a rented accommodation in a village in County Durham. Kleon Zenel's activities came to light after a routine inspection of the property by a real estate agent.
The agent visited the house in Clarence Street on December 14 last year. Chris Morrison, prosecuting, said the defendant was found in the attic, where he was growing cannabis, with other plants found in two upstairs bedrooms, where he also had various cultivation equipment.
The agent called the police and arrested the defendant. A total of 50 plants were found, all between 1 and 2 meters tall and considered to have been growing for some time. Morrison said the electrical system was checked and it was found that the meter had been tampered with, apparently to power the operation. Zeneli did not answer police questions about why he was there and what he was doing. Morrison said it was considered to be "an efficiently run operation". The defendant, aged 24, was said to be an Albanian national and was in the UK illegally.
Morrison said nothing was known about his previous life, but he has no previous convictions in England. Zeneli pleaded guilty to both manufacturing a Class B drug and making an illegal electrical connection when he appeared before magistrates on January 19. The case of the defendant, who has been in custody at Durham Prison since his arrest, has been referred to the crown court.
Kate Barnes, said that despite the defendant having completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in marketing management in Albania, he was unable to find work in his native country. She said he decided to come to the UK illegally three months before his arrest. But he was left to pay a debt to those who trafficked him to the UK. To pay off the debt, he moved to this address and was hired to water and tend the cannabis plants. Barnes said the defendant was acting at the direction of others and had no financial gain other than fulfilling a debt owed to his traffickers.
Lawyer Mark McKone said the defendant was profiting financially from the operation by paying for his arrival in England to "criminals who helped him come to the UK". He said it was to his credit that he had achieved a Bachelor of Arts degree in Albania, but in all likelihood he will face deportation. Lawyer McKone said the Albanian would have faced a sentence of 21 months, but, with a discount of one-third for the guilty plea, the court gave a final sentence of 14 months. But the Recorder said the question of the defendant's immigration status was not one over which the court had any authority.
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