A LODGER transformed the upstairs of a house he sublet in to a drug farm which produced up to around £113,000-worth of cannabis.

Ostap Isak lived upstairs at an address on Cwmgarw Road in Upper Brynamman, subletting from Anita Murphy-Patel.

Swansea Crown Court heard that Ukrainian national Isak came to the UK in 2022 – before the introduction of the Ukrainian settlement scheme.

As he had no legal means to work, he was forced in to producing cannabis by a criminal enterprise to pay back his debts to them, prosecutor Georgia Donohue said.

Isak was instructed to cultivate cannabis plants at a property on Ceidrim Road in Garnant. In return, he was given rent to pay Murphy-Patel, and was also paid “a small wage”.

Once he began letting the upstairs of Murphy-Patel’s house, he was instructed to also start growing cannabis there.

On February 27, police raided the address on Ceidrim Road. Inside, they found 254 cannabis plants across 11 ‘grow rooms’, as well as equipment including ventilation systems, temperature controls, and a drip feed system.

Ms Donohue said the cannabis grown at the address had a street value of between £79,000 and £237,000.

Although nobody was at the address, CCTV footage from a nearby house showed a man – Isak – had been attended the house daily, being dropped off by a woman. Police traced the car to Murphy-Patel.

On March 23, officers attended Murphy-Patel’s address, and she told them she had a friend named ‘Roman’ staying with her.

The officers showed Isak a picture from the CCTV footage, and when he confirmed it was him, he was arrested.

A search of Murphy-Patel’s home found a further 122 cannabis plants upstairs, which could produce cannabis worth between £37,955 and £113,866.

Murphy-Patel was also arrested, and was interviewed the next day. She denied knowing about the drugs, as she was “immobile and only lives downstairs”.

Isak pleaded guilty to two offences of producing cannabis, which Murphy-Patel denied. She did admit a charge of permitting a premises to be used for unlawful purposes.

The court heard that Murphy-Patel was initially unaware of what was happening upstairs, but discovered it and did not report it for 26 days before the police attended her address.

Kate Williams, representing Isak, said about his offending that “economic circumstances forced him in to it”.

“The defendant is from the area of Ukraine where there has been the heaviest fighting and civilian loss of life. He has lost family members in the conflict and does not know what he would be returning to,” she added.

David Singh, for Murphy-Patel, said the 55-year-old had led an “industrious” and law-abiding life up until this point, with “no involvement in the drug world”.

Judge Catherine Richards jailed Isak, 48, for two years. She made Murphy-Patel the subject of an 18-month community order, as part of which she must complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

The prosecution decided against opening Proceeds of Crime Act proceedings, on the basis that Isak had received none of the profits from the drugs being sold.

Judge Richards ordered that any money seized in the operation was forfeited to Dyfed-Powys Police to be used in their work against drug offending. Isak's false IDs were ordered to be destroyed.