A 20-YEAR-OLD man has been locked up after police found a cannabis factory in a Blaenau Gwent house.

Elidon Koci admitted one charge of production of cannabis and was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday.

The Albanian national was arrested when police raided a house in Mill Terrace, Cwm, on October 13 and found 187 cannabis plants being grown there.

Koci, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 15 months in a young offender institution.

He must also pay a victim surcharge of £156, and the judge, Recorder Simon Mills, ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis plants.

Factfile: Cannabis

A Class-B drug, cannabis is the most commonly-used illegal drug in the UK – one in seven adults in Wales and England have used cannabis in the past year.

Among young people (16-24 years old), 17 per cent have used cannabis in the past year – the highest proportion for a decade.

Possession of cannabis has a maximum penalty of five years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

But police can issue warnings to first-time offenders caught with a small amount of cannabis for personal use. Second-time offenders can be given an £90 on-the-spot fine.

Supplying (dealing) or producing (growing) cannabis carries a maximum penalty of up to 14 years in prison and/or an unlimited fine.

In 2017-18, police forces in Wales and England seized a total of 351,847 cannabis plants.

Police also seized three tonnes of herbal cannabis and 654kg of cannabis resin in the same year.