A 27-year-old Albanian man has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment after being discovered cultivating hundreds of cannabis plants at a commercial storage facility in Newport.

Lorenc Mata, whose registered address is in Oxford, was apprehended while tending to the plants at an industrial complex on Kelvedon Street during a police operation on November 4, 2024.

Following his initial arrest and subsequent release on bail, Mata absconded before later being located in custody and brought before Cardiff Crown Court.

Mata pleaded guilty to involvement in the production of a class B controlled substance.

The prosecution outlined how officers discovered 574 cannabis plants housed within a deliberately constructed cultivation system occupying ten rooms across two levels.

The operation displayed characteristics described by prosecutors as methodical and advanced in its design.

The potential harvest from the facility could have produced between 16 and 49 kilograms of cannabis, with a estimated retail value ranging from £160,000 to £482,000 when sold in single-gram quantities.

Defence counsel Alice Sykes submitted that her client had maintained a previously unblemished record with no prior criminal convictions.

She characterised his involvement as limited to horticultural duties within the operation and requested the court apply a 25 percent reduction to reflect his guilty plea entered at Crown Court level.

Supportive references were also provided from correctional facility personnel.

Sentencing Mata, presiding judge Christopher Felstead stated that the gravity of the offence necessitated immediate custody.

He observed that officers had detected a pronounced odour of cannabis upon approaching the substantial commercial premises.

The judge noted his expectation that deportation proceedings would likely follow completion of the custodial term, though he clarified this fell outside judicial consideration.

Mata will serve approximately 40 percent of his two-year sentence before becoming eligible for release, potentially reduced further.

A mandatory victim surcharge of £187 was imposed.

No application for a proceeds of crime hearing was made.

The court ordered the confiscation and destruction of the seized controlled substances.