Police in Leeds catch Albanian man tending to Hyde Park cannabis farm to pay off debt to people traffickers

The surprise discovery was made at a property in Hyde Park over the summer, where an Albanian man was found tending to the plants.

Klajdi Neza, 27, came to the country illegally in 2017 with hopes of working in construction.

But when he arrived, he was told by people traffickers that he owed a significant sum of money and must work to pay off his debt.

He was moved into the house, in Ashville Terrace, with a set-up described by a judge this week as “sophisticated”.

Neza was arrested on August 23 after police officers went looking for someone else entirely over a separate incident.

They knocked at the front door, but there was no response as Neza tried to leave through the back. However, it was not long before he was apprehended.

A search of the house found that four rooms were being used to grow 70 cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £38,500. The defendant was also found in possession of an incapacitant spray similar to those used by the police.

Appearing before Leeds Crown Court on October 19, Neza was sentenced to nine months imprisonment.

John Bottomley, for the defence, said: "As soon as he landed in the UK, he was told, as many others in his position have been, that he owed a lot more money than he expected."

Recorder Paul Reid said: "This was a sophisticated set-up, although it was in its infancy. There were many cannabis plants, but not as many as frequently seen in such enterprises."

He added: "You had no knowledge as to the extent of this operation and had no part in direct financial benefit. Your benefit was limited to a reduction in the debt that you owed to criminal people traffickers."