A MAN has been jailed after police busted one of the biggest cannabis farms raided in the Bradford area in recent months.

The 1,000 plant crop was discovered at a house in Albion Road, Idle, on May 8, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Tending the grow for money was Albanian national Englantin Draguti who was jailed for eight months.

Draguti, 22, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to production of 1,000 cannabis plants.

Prosecutor Jonathan Sharp said that ‘like many other Albanians’ Draguti was recruited to work at a drug farm set up in a rented property.

He was living at the well-established factory that was capable of producing significant quantities of cannabis for commercial use.

Draguti, who was assisted by an interpreter during the hearing, told the police he had been tending the crop for two months.

The police found 107 large plants close to maturity, a follow-on crop of 140 plants and four boxes of seedlings. There was also evidence of a recent harvest having taken place, the court was told.

“This would seem to be one of the larger sites of production recently found,” Mr Sharp said.

Draguti had a well-stocked kitchen, the keys to the house and his wallet contained cash.

He had made ‘a glancing reference to compulsion’ when questioned by the police but had then admitted that his true purpose for being at the house was to work for money because of the economic situation.

Mr Sharp said there were no other convictions recorded against him.

He asked for the seizure of the cash and the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis plants and growing equipment.

Judge Colin Burn agreed with Draguti’s solicitor advocate, Julian White, that cannabis gardeners were often employed by people who were intimidating.

He conceded: “If he had let the crop deteriorate he would have suffered some fairly un-pleasant consequences.”

Judge Burn said that Draguti had played a lesser role in the drugs operation that was capable of producing cannabis on a commercial scale.

He would serve half of the eight-month prison sentence behind bars, less the month he had spent on remand in Leeds Prison.

Judge Burn said that the court had no control over what happened to him after that at the hands of the UK immigration authorities.