A 28-year-old Albanian man arrested during a raid on a large cannabis farm was recruited by people traffickers, Bradford Crown Court heard today.

Illegal immigrant Diamant Belba was found ‘working’ at a house on Tennyson Street, Halifax, in August after he was told by the traffickers that he owed £25,000 after being smuggled into the country in a lorry.

Prosecutor Rebecca Young said that police officers raided the house after receiving multiple intelligence reports that cannabis was being grown there.

When they arrived the officers could small cannabis and could hear fans and other equipment.

Miss Young said the electricity supply had been bypassed and a total of 165 cannabis plants were being grown in four separate rooms.

She said Belba had been left with sheets of paper containing instructions on how to look after the plants.

The court heard that although there were keys available, the house was locked and Belba was afraid to leave because he believed he was being watched and his family may by hurt.

“He said he had been taken to the address and forced to work off his debt,” Miss Young said.

Belba, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to production of cannabis and was jailed for seven months and two weeks.

Judge Ahmed Nadim said the police had found a sophisticated cannabis growing opera-tion at the house.

“In total 165 plants were found at the address,” he told Belba, via an interpreter.

“You had been recruited to attend to the plants by watering them and generally caring for them.

“I accept that you were trafficked into the UK illegally and as a result of that you were subjected to pressures and demands that you were unable to meet.

“And it is as a result of those pressures and demands that you became involved in the growing of cannabis.”