A cannabis farmer living a comfortable and well-fed life while he tended 64 plants at a house in Bradford has been jailed for two and a half years.

Nardi Manaj had the keys to the property and £200 on him when the police busted the professional operation in Deneside Terrace, Little Horton, on June 16.

Manaj, 27, a Greek national, pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and was today sentenced at Bradford Crown Court on a video link to HMP Leeds where he was remanded after his arrest.

Prosecutor Philip Standfast said Manaj was the only person present at the house when the police arrived.

They discovered a professional cannabis grow with specialist lighting, transformers and watering equipment. In all, there were 64 plants in two rooms, 24 in one and 40 in the other.

Manaj had Greek identification documents with him and two phones as well as the keys and cash, Mr Standfast said.

He made little comment to the police after he was arrested.

His barrister, John Batchelor, said he had no previous convictions and had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

Manaj had travelled to London hoping to find work but his lack of a National Insurance Number meant his employment had to be unofficial.

He was working in the capital when he met a group of Albanian men who told him he could earn “quick money”. They promised him £1,000 to work at the cannabis farm for a month.

Mr Batchelor said Manaj was trying to pay off a 15,000 Euro debt, largely run up to pay for surgery for his father.

Judge Jonathan Rose accepted that Manaj came to the United Kingdom to find legitimate work but it was his decision to then travel to Bradford to tend the cannabis farm.

“You made a conscious decision to enter the world of criminal activity in order to make money,” he said.

“You lived in comfort with good food and good accommodation. You were free to come and go as you pleased. You had £200 in cash on you when you were arrested.

“You were far away from someone who might be obliged to work under some form of duress.”

Judge Rose ruled that Manaj’s role in the operation was significant but he reduced the prison sentence from a three year and four month starting point to take account of his guilty plea.