A teenager has been jailed after he was caught hiding inside a North Staffordshire cannabis factory. Police discovered 188 plants after forcing their way inside the property on High Street, in Talke.

Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court heard Albanian Geraldo Meta had entered the UK illegally six months earlier and had been homeless. But two days before the bust, Meta said he had been offered somewhere to stay in exchange for work and was paid £190.

Now the 19-year-old has been locked up for nine months. Prosecutor Andrew Wallace said police were called to the property on December 20 and the defendant was found hiding under a duvet in bed.

Mr Wallace said: "Police were called to reports there was a cannabis grow inside the property. Having forced their way in, they found the defendant hiding under a duvet in bed.

"Inside the property there was the usual paraphernalia and quite a large number of plants in various stages of growth.

"Plants were found inside the garage. Upstairs, 68 plants were found, these were not in particularly good health along with the paraphernalia. In the loft, there had clearly been a previous grow there.

"The factory was in various stages of cultivation and production. There were 188 plants in total.

"The ones in the garage were capable of producing between three and a third and 10 kilos of cannabis. A substantial quantity with a value from £12,000 to £40,000, depending on the quantities sold in."

Meta, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to the production of a class B drug. The court heard he has no previous convictions.

Peter McCartney, mitigating, said Meta is 'very niaive'. Mr McCartney added: "He's 19-years-old, very naive and the opportunity was given to him.

"He was brought to Stoke-on-Trent and he would have gardened in that property. He says he arrived that day and would have stayed for a short period, that was his understanding.

"He's been in the UK now six months and arrived in a dinghy. He says he left Albania as his dad had fallen ill, got in debt and he was responsible for the debt.

"His family couldn't repay and he feared being beaten or worse, so he left. His idea being that he would earn some money in the UK and pay off the debts.

"In Albania he lived with his sister and mum and dad. He was a waiter before he left."

Recorder Julian Taylor said: "You were arrested and taken to the police station. You said you'd arrived only six months before and were homeless and sleeping rough.

"You said you met a man on the December 19 and you were paid £190 to look after the cannabis. I'm sure, never mind your age, you knew it was wrong and criminal."

Recorder Taylor also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis plants, paraphernalia and £190 cash, the Stokesentinel reported.