Judge Says Sorry to Albanian Migrant After Sending Him to Prison on His Birthday Over What Police Found Inside a Building in the UK

A judge apologised to an Albanian man after sending him to prison on his 33rd birthday. The judge told him she was sorry the court hearing had taken place on his special day and hoped he would have happier birthdays in the future.

Agim Cjapi, 33, was sentenced to 20 months in prison after police discovered a large cannabis farm inside a building in Cumbria. The drugs found at the property could have been worth almost £440,000 if all the plants had fully grown.

The court heard that Cjapi was inside the building in Market Square, Kirkby Stephen, when police raided it on July 1. Officers discovered 293 cannabis plants growing in different rooms upstairs and downstairs.

The building had been turned into a well-organised cannabis farm, with special lighting, soil and watering equipment to help the plants grow. Some plants were still very small, while others had grown much bigger.

Prosecutor Tim Evans told Carlisle Crown Court that the cannabis was being grown in several rooms. He explained that the operation had been carefully arranged to produce a large amount of drugs.

After his arrest, Cjapi told police that he had been living in the UK for about a year and had spent several months at the property.

He claimed that he was not the person running the cannabis business. Instead, he said he was only working as a gardener and following orders from a criminal gang.

The court also heard that Cjapi had been brought into the UK illegally and owed a large amount of money to the people who arranged his journey.

According to his lawyer, Andrew Gurney, Cjapi was forced to work to repay the money he owed. He was allegedly threatened with violence if he refused to follow instructions.

Before being taken to the cannabis farm, Cjapi had reportedly worked at construction sites and car washes across the UK.

His lawyer explained that the people controlling him had taken his passport and that he was living in very poor conditions at the property where the cannabis was being grown.

The court heard that Cjapi had little control over his situation and was not making large amounts of money from the illegal operation.

Mr Gurney said his client was not involved in selling the drugs and had no power over the people running the business.

He explained that Cjapi was simply following orders from those above him and was at the lowest level of the criminal operation.

The court was also told that Cjapi regularly sent £200 each month to Albania to support his elderly father, who was suffering from health problems.

His lawyer said Cjapi wanted to return to Albania and had no desire to remain in the UK.

Despite the circumstances explained by his defence team, Cjapi admitted being involved in cannabis production when he appeared at Carlisle Crown Court.

On Friday, which happened to be his 33rd birthday, Recorder Anna Vigars KC sentenced him to 20 months in prison.

However, before concluding the hearing, the judge made an unusual comment about the timing of his punishment.

She apologised to Cjapi for having to send him to prison on his birthday and expressed hope that his future birthdays would be more enjoyable.

The judge said: “I am sorry that this hearing has had to take place on your birthday.”

She added: “I hope there will be more pleasant birthdays in the future.”

The judge also explained that Cjapi would likely spend around one-third of his sentence in prison.

She said she understood that arrangements for his deportation from the UK would begin at an early stage.

This means Cjapi could eventually be sent back to Albania rather than remain in Britain after serving the necessary part of his prison sentence.

The case has also brought attention to how criminal gangs can use migrants who owe money for their journeys to the UK.

According to the account given by Cjapi’s lawyer, he was working under threats, had his passport taken away and was living in poor conditions while looking after the cannabis plants.

Although the court heard about these circumstances, Cjapi was still sentenced for his involvement in producing illegal drugs.

For Cjapi, his 33rd birthday ended with a prison sentence and the possibility of being deported to his home country.