‘Commercial Scale’ Cannabis Factory Discovered in Bransholme Home
Police uncovered a large cannabis operation in a Bransholme house, leading to the arrest of a man involved in the illegal cultivation.
Bransholme, Hull, UK, Cannabis, Illegal Immigration, Drug Trafficking
Hull: Police stumbled upon a pretty sophisticated cannabis factory in a house on Langtree Close. They found 66 cannabis plants, all thriving and up to 4 feet tall. The estimated street value? A whopping £46,600!
So, there was this guy, Gentian Gerbolli, who was looking after the plants. Turns out, he was brought to the UK illegally by some pretty shady people. The court heard that these traffickers were not nice folks; they threatened him to make him work as a gardener for the plants.
Gerbolli, just 21 and without a permanent address, admitted to producing cannabis. When the police raided the place, he was the only one there. They found all sorts of equipment for growing the plants, like hydroponics and lights. They even discovered that the electricity had been tampered with to power everything.
He had been living in an upstairs bedroom and had some food stocked up. The police seized two mobile phones and about £100 in cash. The whole setup was pretty elaborate, and it looked like he was just trying to get by.
His lawyer argued that Gerbolli was just a gardener, not a mastermind behind the operation. He had come to the UK hoping for a better life but ended up in a tough spot, owing a huge debt to the traffickers who brought him here.
They charged him £25,000 to get to the UK, and he was desperate to pay it off. The gang threatened him with violence if he didn’t start repaying his debt. So, he ended up tending to the cannabis plants just to survive.
When he got arrested, he felt relieved, thinking his nightmare was finally over. The judge didn’t go easy on him, though. He was sentenced to 16 months in jail for his role in this commercial cannabis operation.