Vasil Gjergji jailed over Torrensville cannabis crop

An elderly grandfather wanted only one thing as a court prepared to send him to prison over a huge backyard marijuana crop.

A grandfather who was responsible for a massive cannabis crop at the beginning of this year has asked if he can take his books to prison with him.

Vasil Gjergji, 68, was sentenced to just over three years imprisonment in the Adelaide District Court, after police found over 200 cannabis plants at his rented Torrensville home.

After Judge Joana Fuller sentenced Gjergji, she asked if he was clear about the length of his sentence.

Detectives searched a home in Torrensville and located more than 200 cannabis plants, almost 30kg of dried cannabis and hydroponic equipment. Pic: SAPOL

His Albanian interpreter said his only question was if he could take his books with him to prison.

“I can’t see any reason why the prison authority would not allow him to have Albanian books to read while in custody,” Judge Fuller said.

Detectives searched the Torrensville home, charging the grandfather.

Gjergji was sentenced to a number of counts including cultivating a large commercial quantity of controlled plant, traffic in large commercial quantity of controlled drug and possessing prescribed equipment.

In the Torrensville shed, police located 215 small cannabis plants, 60 large cannabis plants while in the laundry they further located 155 cannabis clones with “developed root systems”.

Police also located 37.9kg of female flowering cannabis with the total dry weight being not less than 28.46kg.

However, due to the immaturity of some of the plants, the courts could not determine an appropriate yield amount.

Gjergji and his wife Nikoline were both arrested, however Mrs Gjergji’s charges were dropped after Mr Gjergji took full responsibility for the drugs.

The court heard the couple were renting the home in Adelaide after travelling over from Albania to visit family at the time of their arrest.

Gjergji, submitted to the court, is “deeply ashamed and embarrassed” about his offending, knowing his actions will prohibit him from seeing his grandchildren grow up.

“Prosecution can tender that the sheer volume of cannabis indicates that your offending was profit driven,” Judge Fuller said during sentencing submissions.

“The different stages of the plants and the different quantity of dried cannabis was indicative of the operation being an ongoing drug trafficking business.”

Further in her sentencing remark, Judge Fuller told the court the grandfather had not given an explanation behind his offending and whether or not he has played a role in a “larger enterprise”.

“Your counsel has told me you have accepted full responsibility for what has happened but you did not appreciate the gravity of your offending and the penalties that are imposed for such a penalty,” she said.

“It was a substantial enterprise, the street value of a harvested cannabis is indicative of a very significant profit to be derived from this operation.”

Judge Fuller sentenced Gjergji to three year and six month imprisonment, with a non parole period of 20 months.