Cannabis grower jailed after factory worth more than £600,000 was found in Willenhall

Illegal immigrant Quang Vo was found hiding in the property where there were more than 400 plants in Brereton Road in April this year.

The 28 year-old admitted being involved in the production of cannabis and was jailed for 20 months at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

A total of 404 plants at various stages of growth were recovered following the police raid.

On the basis of the number of crops being produced a year the factory was worth over half-a-million annually, the court was told yesterday.

Mr Nicholas Burn, prosecuting said it was a 'sophisticated and well organised set up' and was a commercial supply situation.

"He was acting as a gardener, he had been in the country for five months and was being taken to and from the premises in question to water the plants," he said.

"When the police raided the premises the defendant was found hiding upstairs."

He said the potential yield from three crops would have given a street value of around £600,000 on a yearly basis.

Mr Burn added the role of gardener is still prominent in such illegal practices.

Vo pleaded guilty on the basis he was a gardener for the enterprise, watering plants on a daily basis and coerced into doing so.

Mr Aftab Rashid, defending, said: "He was destitute and looking for a shelter.

"He came across a group of people who were prepared to provide him shelter and acted more on the basis he acted as a gardener for them. He had been in the country for two months prior to his arrest.

Mr Rashid added:?"He is a man of previous good character. One of the main reasons for coming to the UK was to look for a better life for his family."

Officers discovered the plants in Brereton Road and Vo was arrested.

Judge Amjad Nawaz, sitting at Wolverhampton Crown Court, said: "This was a commercial set up with significant quantities to be produced."

He sentenced Vo to 20 months imprisonment and ordered forfeiture and destruction of the drugs. The Vietnamese national is to be referred to the Home Office for anticipated deportation.

A series of cannabis factories have been found around the Midlands over the last few years.

Figures revealed in 2011 showed there had been a rise by 218 per cent.

A specialist West Midlands Police squad to tackle the issue was set up in October 2011.