Cannabis farmer was 'paying back people smugglers'

An Albanian man who tended a cannabis farm to pay off people smugglers who brought him into the UK illegally has been jailed for nine months.

Izmir Dema, 26, attempted to flee when police raided a home in Birtley, Gateshead, in September, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

Officers found dozens of mature cannabis plants in several rooms which Dema was looking after.

He admitted producing cannabis and judge advocate Thomas Mitchell said Dema could be deported when he has completed his sentence.

The court heard Northumbria Police discovered 55 mature cannabis plants and 104 cuttings when they raided a two-storey home on North Dene on 18 September.

As officers forced their way in through the front door, Dema ran out the back and attempted to escape over a garden fence, the court heard.

Dema had originally arrived illegally in the UK in 2020 but was deported home, returning in 2023.

He accrued a debt to the people smugglers and was working at the cannabis farm to pay it off, the court heard.

Judge advocate Mitchell said when Dema was released he was "likely to be at the mercy of the immigration authorities".

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