A cannabis farmer who worked as a "gardener" at a professional drugs factory has been jailed.
Renis Hasa, 29, an Albanian national who was in the UK illegally for four years, tended to plants at a sophisticated farm in the West End of Newcastle.
When police busted the crop, on Croydon Road, Arthur's Hill, they found 131 plants growing in four separate rooms, which were equipped with insulation, transformers, lighting and ventilation.
Newcastle Crown Court heard it was discovered after police received a tip-off and raided the property on February 6.
Prosecutor Rachael Glover told the court Hasa confessed he was responsible for feeding the plants and tended them once a day.
He said he had been approached by "three Albanian males" who offered him the work in exchange for cash, which he never received, at a time when he was homeless.
Hasa, of no fixed address, admitted producing cannabis and he was jailed for eight months and warned he may be deported after serving the sentence.
Judge Tim Gittins told him: "Albeit your role was limited to gardening, tending and watering the plants, it was a vital part of a serious, professional set up."
Jonathan Pigford, mitigating, said Hasa got involved for "financial reasons" after losing his job and being unable to say his rent.
Mr Pigford said Hasa, who has no other convictions recorded in the UK, has a good family background" and a "very good work ethic".
