A 20-year-old student has been sentenced to 20 months in prison after being found responsible for cultivating a large cannabis farm in student accommodation in Sunderland. Musa Qaushi, originally from Albania, was discovered by police during a raid on June 22 at a property on Ivanhoe Crescent. Officers uncovered 351 cannabis plants spread across four growing rooms, with additional cannabis drying in a fifth room.

Qaushi, who was studying at a university in Tirana, Albania, and was two years into a five-year course, came to the UK on a tourist visa. Newcastle Crown Court heard that he was given the role of “resident gardener,” tasked with maintaining the cannabis crop. The drugs seized were valued at up to £88,500.

Judge Edward Bindloss noted that Qaushi was paid for his role and received accommodation in exchange for his work. While Qaushi showed emotion during the hearing, the judge rejected claims that the defendant was naive about the operation. “It’s a large-scale operation covering five rooms. You knew the scale of the operation,” Judge Bindloss said, adding that Qaushi could have drawn his own conclusions as a university student.

The judge acknowledged that Qaushi spoke no English and that the accommodation and income from the cultivation may have been his only means of support while in the UK. However, the court was clear that such illegal activities require individuals to maintain the crops, and Qaushi fulfilled this function under direction, without influencing other members involved.

Qaushi, who has no previous convictions and no fixed address in the UK, pleaded guilty to cultivating cannabis. The judge indicated he expected the Home Office to initiate deportation proceedings following the completion of the sentence.