Five men who created a cannabis factory after losing their jobs in the pandemic or being trafficked have been busted by officers.
According to Birmingham Live roughly £114,000 worth of drugs along with two loaded "potentially lethal" handguns were discovered inside a former shop, currently being renovated into a new Mediterranean restaurant.
Police also uncovered two loaded pistols during their raid of the garden and first floor on the property on Jockey Road, Sutton Coldfield at about 3pm on New Year's Eve, December 31.
Lefter Pashaj permitted the large operation - where cannabis was dried out and cropped - to work out of the building after the 'foolish opportunity' was proposed to him, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
The 35-year-old, a dad of three young children, gave into 'temptation' as he struggled to provide for his family following the loss of his job as a builder in the Covid-19 pandemic, the court was told.
He pleaded guilty to possessing the firearms, cannabis, ammunition and allowing his premises to be used for the cultivation of drugs.
Though there was no proving whether the modified guns were owned by him, the court was told his DNA was found on the trigger and magazine.
Four other men, who also lost their jobs in the lockdowns, were found in possession of the class B drugs after taking on work cropping and packing the plants in the 'factory'.
Pashaj, alongside Amandj Hamzai, also 35, Dhimiter Todheri, 39, and Klajdi Skendaj, 29, Alket Konti, 39, were sentenced to nearly 12 years in jail in total for their roles in the factory.
The court heard Skendaj had been trafficked into the country and arranged to pay his traffickers back with his next job. He took on employment at car washes, defence barrister Notu Hoon said, but was 'too slow' at paying them back.
After being 'threatened' with guns by the traffickers, he was taken to the Sutton cannabis factory, the court heard.
Delivery driver Konti, who was found hiding under the bed during the police raid, also became unemployed during the pandemic - with an "element of desperation" in what he did.
Only Hamzai, jobless after Bar Mason in Birmingham shut in the lockdowns, was said to have previous convictions - with the other men previously of 'good character'.
Seamran Sidhu, defending Hamzai, said: "He comes from Holland, he expressed some naivety as to how serious this would be over here.
"He had no influence on these higher up in the chain and has no relevant convictions. He is someone who is truly remorseful. He has more willingness to change than ever. He has two offers of employment.
"He made a mistake, an ill-judged mistake at a time when he and many others had nothing else and he made an error of judgement."
All five were sentenced to jail on Monday October 4.
- Pashaj was jailed for five years and thr ee months
Skendaj was jailed for 26 months
Konti was jailed for 20 months
Todheri was jailed for 18 months
Hamzai was jailed for 16 months
Judge Dean Kershaw, sentencing Pashaj, said he must be remorseful after seeing the 'suffering' his actions had caused his partner and family.
He said: "Your partner has made it clear to me that you have left her as a single mother. She has three children to look after. You must see the effect your offending has had. Your offending is very serious.
"[In references] it says you are warm and kind. But there is nothing warm and kind about guns, whether they are yours or not.
"They are deadly and they are evil. By possessing them, you are passing them onto others who will use them to maim or kill.
"You could not have complained in my assessment for having two guns if your sentence was approaching double figures. But considering the facts of this case, it would be wrong to impose a sentence of that length."
