He came on a dinghy hoping for a better life but ended up in squalor

An Albanian man who came to the UK on a dinghy in the hope of a better life was found living in the "squalor" of a drug factory. Albi Alushi, 26, said he was forced by the gang who funded his journey across the English Channel to be a "gardener" at a Rhondda Cynon Taf cannabis farm, Cardiff Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Tabitha Walker said police raided the home in Gwendoline Street, Treherbert, on the morning of April 20 and found Alushi on a sofa in the living room. "The walls of the room were covered in plastic sheeting and there were fluorescent lights above numerous cannabis plants being grown," she told the court. "He was arrested at 9.26am and cautioned, to which he stated: 'I do not understand.'"

In total 53 plants were found across four growing rooms. The estimated yield of the grow was up to 4,452g, with a street value of up to £20,800. In a statement issued through his solicitor, Alushi told police: "I was born in Tirana, Albania. I arrived in the UK in October 2021 in a dinghy via the French port of Calais before arriving in Dover. I had to pay £10,000 to an Arabic male to facilitate my travel. I had borrowed £11,500 from loan sharks in Albania. On arrival in the UK I was detained for five days then housed in a hotel in Newcastle, but I absconded and made my way to Manchester. I remained there until approximately one month ago when I was contacted by an Albanian gang and threatened into working for them to pay the debt from them facilitating my travel to the UK. I was then transported to south Wales and told to look after cannabis plants. I am now extremely frightened for my safety and also my family in Albania."

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Ms Walker said there was no indication Alushi was involved in setting up the factory or that he was "higher up the chain". She accepted he had a "lesser role" in the operation. Alushi, who had no previous convictions, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of a Class B drug. His barrister William Bebb said: "Due to his immigration status and the nature of the incident he accepts it will be an inevitable custodial sentence. He was living in squalor really, surrounded by these plants in a very small living area without many amenities at all. He had no influence at all on those above him in the chain and limited financial advantage. He was in a vulnerable position having arrived here illegally, and he was exploited. He himself wants to go back to Albania. His family are there and he is concerned for the health of his father, whose condition is worsening week to week."

Mr Bebb added that Alushi, who listened to the proceedings with the aid of an Albanian interpreter, had been "frustrated by the uncertainty and delay of the court process" while remanded in custody since his arrest in April. Passing sentence, Judge Hywel James said: "The least possible sentence I can impose is one of 12 months' imprisonment. You will serve up to one half of the sentence in custody and the remainder on licence." The judge added that the months Alushi has spent remanded in custody will count as time served. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here