AN ALBANIAN man has been jailed after he was caught at a cannabis farm in Dalry.

Kilmarnock Sheriff Court also heard how Rezeart Osmani had come to the UK illegally before being caught producing cannabis in the town.

The 34-year-old appeared from custody for sentencing on Wednesday, June 26 after pleading guilty to two charges at an earlier hearing.

He admitted producing the drug in Kirkland Crescent on May 30 this year, as well as a further charge of entering the UK without the required leave to do so.

The court was told that a total of 47 cannabis plants were recovered from the property.

The procurator fiscal depute explained that each plant could produce cannabis to a value of £200-600.

This meant that the cultivation had a total value of between £11,800 and £35,000.

Calum Armour, defending, said that Osmani "accepts full responsibility for the offences".

Mr Armour added: “(He) attempted to come into this country in order to achieve a better life and financial security for his family, but admits he did so by the wrong means.”

The court was told that a community-based punishment would not be appropriate as Osmani was facing deportation from the UK and had no fixed address.

Sheriff George Jamieson sentenced Osmani to four months in prison, backdated to May 31, when he was first remanded in custody.

Earlier this year the Herald reported on the jailing of four Albanian men who were caught at a £900,000 cannabis farm on the Stevenston Industrial Estate in April 2023.

Besmir Broshka, Armend Krasniqi, Drilon Gapi and Erando Jaupi were sentenced to a total of 12 years behind bars at the High Court in Glasgow in February.

Just a week before the quartet was sentenced, another Albanian national, Dritan Nikolli, was jailed for 27 months after being caught producing cannabis worth up to £150,000 at a flat in Kilbirnie.

And in January of this year our sister title the Ayr Advertiser reported on how Elion Kullag, also from Albania, was facing deportation for his role cultivating cannabis with a potential street value of £167,000 at a property in Ayr town centre.