He claimed he was an innocent painter and decorator when police caught him red handed

Liverpool: A man named Ferdinant Pjetri was caught in a cannabis farm and claimed he was just an innocent painter. But the police found him in a kitchen that was part of a £120,000 cannabis operation.

Officers followed leads that took them to another property where they found Danjel Markaj hiding in the loft. The police had a search warrant for a house on Tennyson Avenue in Rock Ferry, Wirral, and discovered five rooms dedicated to growing cannabis.

In total, they seized 97 plants from the first house, which could yield between 2.7kg and 8kg of cannabis, worth up to £122,000. They also found documents pointing to a second location on Town Lane in Tranmere, where 147 more plants were growing.

Markaj was caught with gloves and fertilizer in the loft, while Pjetri had a Greek driving license in his name. When questioned, Pjetri insisted he was just there to do some painting and decorating, claiming he didn’t know who owned the place.

Both men had no fixed addresses and no prior convictions in the UK. Pjetri’s lawyer argued that he grew up in poverty in Albania and was just trying to make a living. He expressed regret for his actions and expected to be deported.

Markaj, a failed asylum seeker, also claimed he was misled about the cannabis operation. He admitted to the charges and was sentenced to a year in prison, while Pjetri received 15 months for his role in the operation. The judge noted that this was clearly a commercial setup by an organized crime group.