'Stash house' for Albanian dealers on Leeds residential street unearthed £58,000 of cannabis
A raid on a residential property in Leeds led to £58,000 worth of cannabis being found by police.
Two Albanians found inside the house in Hunslet were jailed for their part, with one having already been deported from the UK once before.
Leeds Crown Court heard that officers, accompanied by immigration officials, targeted the house at Penny Lane Way on May 9.
Maringent Lleshi answered the door and Erzen Ferati was stood on the stairs, prosecutor Vincent Blake-Barnard said.
The house smelled of cannabis and police gathered in eight 1kg bags of the drug in resin form. The total street value came to £58,000.
They also found £5,800 in cash, sorted into bundles, and false documents belong to 21-year-old Ferati. He had no previous convictions.
They also found two cars parked outside on false registration plates.
Mr Blake-Barnard said said that 25-year-old Lleshi had been deported after serving a jail sentence in 2022 for having false identity documents. He was barred from ever returning to the UK.
Both defendants, who appeared in court via video link from HMP Leeds, admitted two counts of dealing in CLass B drugs. Lleshi admitted possession of identity documents with intent, with Lleshi admitting arriving in the UK without valid clearance.
Mitigating for Ferati, Michael Greenhalgh said he only had the false papers in order to gain employment.
He added: “He accepts there’s no alternative to immediate an custodial sentence. He understands he will be deported.”
For Lleshi, Shufqat Khan said it was criminals “further up the chain” that were storing the drugs at the property that the two men were guarding.
He said Lleshi came to the UK initially to “better himself”, then returned despite being banned, which he knew was wrong. He said: “He wanted a better future in the UK but it ended up being a nightmare.”
Judge Mushtaq Khokhar jailed Lleshi for 24 months, with Ferati receiving 20 months. Both are expected to be deported once they have served the custodial part of their sentence.