Alexander Creqama (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)
Last Updated: 5 minutes ago
A 23-year-old Albanian national has been sentenced to 32 months in prison after police discovered him looking after a large-scale cannabis growing operation at a house in Ystradgynlais.
The warrant
Officers executed a drugs warrant at the property on March 23 and found Alexander Creqama as the only person inside. Five rooms had been converted for cannabis cultivation, fitted with hydroponic equipment, and the electricity supply had been bypassed.
The scale of the operation
Cardiff Crown Court heard that 249 plants were recovered from the address, comprising both mature plants and seedlings. Prosecutor Sian Cutter told the court the potential yield ranged from 6.5kg to 19.5kg, with a wholesale value of up to £98,000. Broken down into smaller quantities, the drugs could have been worth as much as £214,000. Evidence of cuttings suggested at least one previous harvest had already taken place.
What Creqama told police
Creqama told officers he had been at the property for around a year and claimed he had been “forced” to tend the plants. However, he also admitted receiving 25% of whatever the plants sold for, amounting to roughly £5,000 per harvest.
Ms Cutter said: “(The cannabis farm) produced significant quantities for commercial use.”
Background and mitigation
Defence barrister Emily Bennett told the court her client had entered the UK illegally from Albania, having travelled in the back of a lorry from Spain. His immigration status left him unable to work legitimately. She described Creqama as a young man who was immature and had made poor decisions. The court heard he has no previous convictions and has been undertaking an education programme in prison to learn English.
Sentencing
Recorder Greg Bull KC said Creqama “must have been aware” of the scale of the cannabis operation. Creqama, of no fixed abode, had pleaded guilty to the production of cannabis and was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment.
