Plain-clothes officers on patrol in Roath, Cardiff, were called to a house on Newport Road on 26 April 2018, where they were met by an overwhelming smell of cannabis and windows covered in plastic.[1] Inside they found around 900 plants growing in seven rooms, several large bags of harvested cannabis, growing equipment thought to be worth around 1 million pounds, cash and a machete.[1][2]
Gardener plea, three-year sentence
Vezir Faqolli, 32, an Albanian with no fixed address, pleaded guilty to producing the Class B drug for the period between 1 September 2017 and 25 April 2018, saying his role was limited to being a gardener, which the Crown did not accept.[1] He was assisted by an Albanian interpreter, remanded in custody and jailed for three years in June.[1][2]
Confiscation
When his case returned to Cardiff Crown Court under the Proceeds of Crime Act in September, the court heard the 33-year-old had made 5,070 pounds from his criminal conduct, relating to the same September-to-April period.[2] Judge Rhys Rowlands ordered the 2,970 pounds of seized assets confiscated and the drugs and equipment destroyed.[2] There was no evidence Faqolli had any involvement in setting up the sophisticated factory, and his counsel said he expected to be deported in January 2019.[2]
