THREE Albanian men who were lured to the UK were made to work in a cannabis factory to pay back their debt.
Selami Lugja, Alfred Mamoci and Rezart Selami were all illegally trafficked into the country after being sold the “English dream”.
But when they arrived in Southampton, the trio were told to work in a cannabis factory to pay off their £25,000 debt.
Living, eating and sleeping at the repurposed warehouse in Millbank Street, the gardeners worked every day, watering the plants and growing hundreds more.
But the enterprise was brought to a halt when police visited to the area searching for a missing person back in October.
Using thermal imaging cameras, officers came across an otherwise “derelict” warehouse emitting abnormal heat readings.
When they raided the site, they found Mamoci, 36, and Selami, 29, running along the roof. Lugja, 31, was also seen dropping down from the side of the roof.
READ MORE: Southampton paedophile brought condoms to meet child he met on Grindr
Inside, officers found three rooms for growing cannabis, a conference room, a fridge, a cooking area and a sleeping area.
Electricity had been diverted from the mains so that it didn’t register, and 629 mature cannabis plants were also discovered.
A court was told how the street value of the plants was anywhere between £179,000 and £535,000 per crop, with the factory capable of producing up to four crops a year.
The three men all pleaded guilty to producing a controlled class B drug and appeared at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday for sentencing.
Prosecuting, Peter Asteris said the trio were expecting to be paid between £5,000 and £18,000 upon completion of the crops and that there was “clearly a financial gain”.
He accepted, however, that the men had a “lesser role” in the chain and were creating “industrial quantities” of cannabis on orders from their traffickers.
Lucy Conroy, mitigating, told the court: “They are still young men, lured to the UK through the promise of what Mr Mamoci eloquently describes as the English dream.
“Life in Albania for young men is exceptionally difficult. [There are] limited job opportunities.
“All of them individually describe how friends have told of the better life that can be built with funds earnt in the UK.
“All three of them found the UK to be not quite the promised land they had been sold.”
She went on to say that all three had been “candid and honest” since being caught.
They know that they came to the UK illegally but said they felt this offered “a way out”.
“Those who are the subject of exploitation are deliberately secluded. They are the bottom of the ladder”, she added.
READ MORE: Southampton thug fired imitation gun after being caught cheating
But judge, Christopher Parker KC said the trio had entered for economic reasons, not as asylum seekers, and “engaged in organised criminal production of cannabis”.
He told them: “[It was] not set up by you but operated by you on behalf of others. You were at the bottom of the organisation’s ladder.”
The three men were all jailed for three years.
An order was also made for the destruction of all the drugs, for drug-related paraphernalia and cash to be seized.
Judge Parker added: “I strongly suspect that you will be deported at the earliest opportunity but that is a matter for the Home Office, not the court.”
A message from the Editor
Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo.
Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website.
You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.
Don't just take my word for it - subscribe today.
Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by searching Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents on Facebook
Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated group by searching Hampshire Court and Crime News on Facebook
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article