An illegal migrant who was found tending a cannabis farm with a street value of around £140,000 has been jailed.

John Hyseni, 23, was allowed to live at the house in Firwood Gardens, Gateshead, in exchange for growing the Class B drug, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

On October 2, officers found 140 plants spread across three rooms, along with growing equipment.

Hyseni, an Albanian national who arrived in the UK on a “dinghy” two years ago, admitted producing cannabis and was jailed for a year and four months.

Prosecutor Antonia Adie said officers received a tip that a house, located in the Lobley Hill area, was being used to grow cannabis, with a sophisticated setup discovered.

She said the property’s electricity meter had been bypassed and Hyseni would have received “significant” benefit from her involvement, including being provided accommodation.

In mitigation, Charlie Thompson said Hyseni was at the bottom of the drug gang chain and was in fact a gardener, who received accommodation and “pocket money for food” in exchange for l plant care.

Hyseni arrived in the UK on a “dinghy” in 2022 after fleeing gambling debts he had accrued in Albania, Mr Thompson said.

He initially worked in construction in London but lost his job and accommodation when his illegal status became known, the court heard.

A “friend of a friend” told him about the opportunity in Gateshead and “in an act of senseless desperation” he accepted, Mr Thompson said.

“He recognizes that he gained nothing by coming to (the UK) and that he should have faced his problems head-on in (Albania) rather than running away from them,” Mr Thompson said, adding that this had been a “salutary lesson”.

Judge Tim Gittins said he accepted that Hyseni “felt under some pressure” but that there was “no evidence” that he was “under duress or threats from his superiors.”

He said that after serving his sentence, Hyseni would be deported.