Marselo Hatija was put in charge of Accrington cannabis farm

Marselo Hatija, an Albanian national, had been brought into the country illegally, and to repay a transportation debt to the traffickers who transported him from the Balkan state, had been put in charge of a cannabis farm containing 217 plants in Cliffe House, an abandoned property in Accrington.

Preston Crown Court heard how in January last year, a number of residents living in Willows Lane, Accrington, had contacted the electricity board to report they were not getting any electricity to their homes.

Marselo Hatija (Image: Lancs Police)

Stephen Parker, prosecuting, said: “It became apparent a fuse had blown, and when engineers attended they dug up the road outside Cliffe House and could see steam and smoke coming from the ground, indicating there had been some underground explosions.

“As they were digging up the road they also found an illegal tap into the cabling and traced it to Cliffe House which is a large detached property.

“They needed to gain access as they believed there was a risk of fire and contacted the police.

“Police arrived and through gaps in the boarded-up windows could see some bright artificial lights and noticed a strong smell of cannabis.

“They forced entry and found 12 rooms which all contained cannabis plants.

“A total of 217 plants at two different stages of growth were found, on what can be described as a ‘rolling cycle’.

“It is estimated that 40g of cannabis could be gained per plant, which amounts to 8.68kg of cannabis, with a street value of around £86,800.”

Mr Parker said the defendant was not present at the time, but his fingerprints were discovered on fans and lights within the property.

Mr Parker added: “The police had his fingerprints because he was stopped in London in February 2021 and found to be in possession of almost a kilogram of cannabis.”

Hatija was arrested in May this year trying to board a plane back to Albania from Luton Airport.

He provided no comment at interview but later pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.

Mr Parker went on: “The electricity board said there had been a massive potential for fire risk and the set up was very dangerous, to the extent that if conditions weren’t made safe they could have caused a fatality.”

In mitigation, the court was told Hatija was aged 20 at the time of the commission of the offence, and had come to the UK expecting to be able to better secure his financial future with the promise of a job.

However, he was "exploited" and told his debt had to be paid off. He had also worked illegally in the construction industry but had become fed up and was keen to return to Albania as soon as possible.

Recorder Daniel Prowse, in sentencing, said: “This was an ongoing, professional set-up capable of producing large amounts of cannabis for commercial use.

“You were arrested many months after. You have no previous convictions apart from when you were stopped in London in 2021, but I am not sentencing you for that, and will treat you as having previous good character for the purpose of this exercise.

“You were exploited, and came to the UK with a promise of work, but had a debt to pay off.

“This was not a financial advantage for you, but for those who got you into the country, although you did have some idea of the scale of the operation.”

Hatija, 22, of Fosse Lane, Leicester, was jailed for 13 months.