Albanian man jailed after cannabis raid in Pembroke Dock

Police carried out the bust at an address on Dimond Street on October 3. Upstairs, they found a total of 594 cannabis plants growing across three rooms of the property.

Prosecutor Alexandra Wilson said the plants could have produced between 16kg and 49kg of cannabis, which would have had an estimated value of between £64,000 and £196,000.

Officers noticed a fire escape ladder by the window, and Armando Beti was spotted by the police drone overhead attempting to escape across the roof.

Beti was arrested hiding in the attic of a neighbouring building.

• For the latest crime and court news for west Wales, you can join our Facebook group here.

In interview, he told police he was guilty, but “was forced to do it”.

“He stated he was only a gardener,” said Ms Wilson. “The individuals he was unable to name or describe said he had to stay there for a month to repay a debt of £6,000.”

He added that the gang had supplied him with a fake address when he was in an immigration detention centre.

The court heard 37-year-old Beti was convicted for producing cannabis in Cardiff in May 2022, and after being deported and getting caught re-entering the country illegally in a lorry, was sentenced in Canterbury for knowingly entering the UK in breach of a deportation order.

Beti, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the production of cannabis.

“Possibly the strongest mitigation I can make on the defendant’s behalf is in relation to credit,” said Caitlin Brazel, appearing for Beti.

Ms Brazel said the defendant’s guilty plea “demonstrates an element of remorse and accountability for his actions”.

“Mr Armando lived the first 35 years of his life as a law-abiding individual,” she said.

“He found himself in difficulties following his first conviction.

“He is realistic about his position today and is under no illusions as to the seriousness of his offending.”

Vacuum sealed bags of cannabis seized at one of the addresses. (Image: Tarian)

Sentencing Beti to two years and eight months, Judge Geraint Walters said: “In your police interview you explained that criminal Albanians had got hold of you and made you work for them – just as they had two years before.

“You are a repeat offender. You know what you’re doing, and you seek to use the standard excuses that the court hears day in, day out.  

“You are plainly wedded to the criminal activities of the gang.

“It’s a matter for the Home Office to decide what steps they then take, and how soon they take them,” he said.

“The message needs to go out that it shouldn’t be presumed by those running these factories that judges are completely naïve.”