Ylber Bery Shquti (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 4 minutes ago
An Albanian man who was caught tending a cannabis farm in the Neath Valley has been sentenced to two and a half years in prison – his second conviction for the same offence in just over a year.
Ylber Bery Shquti, 25, of no fixed abode, had previously pleaded guilty to producing cannabis at Swansea Crown Court.
The raid
Officers carried out a search warrant at an industrial unit in Resolven on February 22 this year after receiving intelligence that the property was being used for cannabis production.
As police forced entry, Shquti attempted to escape through a window but was quickly caught and detained.
Inside the unit, officers discovered 147 fully-grown cannabis plants along with associated growing equipment. The potential yield of the operation was estimated at 12kg, with a street value of £162,000.
Interview
During his police interview, Shquti told officers he had been offered £5,000 to look after the plants for a six-week period but had only been at the unit for one week before the raid took place.
He said he had previously worked as a builder but accepted the offer because the pay was better and would allow him to send money home to his family in Albania.
Previous conviction
The court heard Shquti had one previous conviction for the same offence from May 2024, for which he received a 12-month prison sentence.
That conviction followed a police raid on a property in St James Crescent in Uplands, Swansea, where 240 cannabis plants at various stages of growth were found alongside lights, fans, and other growing equipment.
Prosecutor Sian Cutter told the court that at the time of the 2024 conviction, Shquti was not in the UK legally and “it was said he would be liable to deportation”.
Sentencing
Emily Bennett, representing Shquti, said her client’s strongest mitigation was his guilty plea and that he was “deeply embarrassed to be back before this court again”.
Judge Paul Thomas KC sentenced Shquti to 30 months in prison, which included a one-third discount for his guilty plea.
