TWO men caught hiding in the wall at a big Bradford cannabis factory have been jailed.

They were brought to the address in Hammerton Street, off Leeds Road, to tend the 668 plants after running up gambling debts in London.

Enerik Kaba, 25, was imprisoned for 20 months at Bradford Crown Court today. Co-accused, Yanis Skura, 21, was locked up for 18 months.

The court case was held on a day when it emerged that over a third of all West Yorkshire cannabis farms found in Bradford.

Prosecutor Jade Edwards said that both men had pleaded guilty to production of cannabis at the magistrates’ court. They were remanded in Leeds Prison ahead of the sentencing hearing.

Miss Edwards said that police with a drugs search warrant forced entry to the terraced house on August 18.

They had to get through a metal gate and a metal door, and the garage was secured with a steel roller shutter.

There were two beds at the property, a well-stocked kitchen, a television set, a computer with games, and clothing.

Rooms were partitioned off to use as nurseries for young plants, while four rooms of mature plants were discovered upstairs.

In all, there were 668 cannabis plants at the commercial-scale operation. The electricity supply had been bypassed, meaning that the road had to be dug up to make the area safe.

The police noticed a small hatch in one of the growing rooms. It led to a void in the wall where the men were hiding, Miss Edwards said.

They had phones and keys to the property so they could have left at any time.

Ken Green, barrister for both of the men, said they were from Crete. They were in the United Kingdom legally and had been living in London.

Each had a gambling addiction and had run up debts. They were persuaded to travel to Bradford to tend the cannabis plants to pay them off.

They were gardeners and they played a lesser role in the drugs organisation, Mr Green said. Neither man had any previous convictions.

Skura suffered with chronic epilepsy and had seizures on a regular basis. He was receiving medication and would find a jail sentence more onerous.

The men were ashamed of their involvement in the crime. Their families were aware of their position and both wanted to return to Crete.

Recorder Gavin Doig ordered forfeiture and destruction of the plants and equipment.

He said both men must serve immediate sentences of imprisonment. Skura was jailed for a shorter time because of his epilepsy and the fact that he was younger.