Rude awakening for cannabis 'gardener', 26, who was asleep in kitchen when police busted £100,000 Telford drugs farm

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Shrewsbury Crown Court was told that Stankevicius, who is Lithuanian, flew to the UK legally to look for work, initially landing in Liverpool and spending some time in Merseyside.

However, he found himself in Telford looking after the grow, and was busted on June 24 this year.

Officers entered the property at around 9.15am and discovered Stankevicius asleep in a bed in the kitchen.

A hydroponic set-up had been installed in other rooms of the house to aid the production of cannabis, and the electricity supply had been by-passed.

Stankevicius was arrested but denied involvement in the illicit drugs farm when interviewed, saying he only used the bathroom and kitchen in the house.

The court was told that Stankevicius was acting as a “gardener”, meaning he was looking after the plants for people higher up in the chain and did not stand to make any significant financial benefit from the criminality.

Stankevicius, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to producing a controlled drug of class B. He has no previous convictions in the UK and the prosecution had no evidence he had convictions from anywhere else in the world.

Paul Smith, mitigating, said: “He came here lawfully. He tried to get work and has ended up in this situation.

“He knows he’s not coming out of prison until he gets deported. Hopefully he gets back to Lithuania at minimal cost to our taxpayers.”

Judge Trevor Meegan sentenced Stankevicius to eight months in prison.

“You will serve 40 per cent,” he told Stankevicius, but acknowledged he may be deported before the sentence has elapsed.

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs, paraphernalia and phones found at the property.