Cannabis resident claimed £73,000 farm at Leeds home was for personal use
A Polish man caught tending to a sophisticated cannabis farm set up claimed the drugs were for his own personal use.
Arturs Maksiovs was jailed at Leeds Crown Court after maintaining the plants, which were capable of producing more than 7kg of the substance, were just for him.
Police raided his property on Barkly Street, Cross Flatts, on September 23 and found 30 plants growing in the basement, 25 in another first-floor room, and 28 in a second-floor room.
They were all surrounded by heat fans, extractors and silver foil to ensure their growth. The electricity had been bypassed and the windows blacked out.
Designer clothes were found in the house while a BMW belonging to Maksiovs was parked outside. A zombie-style knife was found hanging on the back of a door.
The 47-year-old admitted producing cannabis, possessing an offensive weapon and extracting electricity.
Experts estimated the plants were capable of producing between £18,000 and £73,000 worth of cannabis.
However, he denied growing the drugs for commercial gain, but after a Newton Hearing in which he gave evidence, his claims were dismissed.
Judge Tom Bayliss KC said he was clearly growing the drug for profit, while he said the knife on the door was to protect his crop from intruders.
He said: “It is a professional cannabis grow and it was an ongoing operation, protected by highly-dangerous weapons.”
Maksiovs appeared in court via a video link from HMP Leeds where he was being held on remand.
Mitigating, Matthew Harding said father-of-two Maksiovs had been in the UK since 2005 and had worked legitimately throughout.
But he conceded: “He is the author of his own misfortune.”
Judge Bayliss jailed him for 40 months.