A 19-year-old has been jailed after being found in a flat with 80 cannabis plants, following a fire in the building.

Fire crews, police and ambulance were rushed to the blaze in Vine Street, in the Whelley area of Wigan on May 18.

Luftim Hallaci had only moved into the building four days prior after being 'promised a job', prosecution barrister Mark Friend told Bolton Crown Court.

READ MORE:Woman drove to her drink-drive court hearing - then gets banned from the roads

When firefighters entered the flat to rescue Hallaci, they found a cannabis farm and alerted police.

Sign up to the free MyWigan email newsletter

Get regular updates from Wigan direct to your email inbox with the free MyWigan newsletter.

All you need to do is click on this link, enter your email address, and select 'MyWigan News'.

Along with 80 plants, it was discovered that electricity was being extracted illegally.

After receiving treatment from paramedics, Hallaci was arrested.

During his interview, he told police that he arrived in the UK on the back of a lorry in August 2020.

He spent around nine months in London, before being promised a job in Wigan.

Hallaci, who has no previous convictions, told police that his job was 'security' at the flat in Vine Street and admitted that he was aware of the presence of cannabis plants. However, he said he had no connection to them.

Bolton Crown Court

At a plea and trial preparation hearing today (June 16) Hallaci pleaded guilty to production of a Class B drug.

Defending, Neil Ronan told the court that the Albanian national spent his life savings, around £15,000, travelling to the UK for a 'better life'.

Mr Ronan said: "He left his home country of Albania at only 15 years of age and then spent a number of years in Greece, before moving to Italy, all the while working.

"As with so many people from Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom is seen as something of a Holy Grail.

"He used all of his life savings to that point, some £15,000 to travel to the UK for what he thought would be a better life.

"He appreciates now that all the streets aren't paved with gold in the United Kingdom."

Judge John Potter suggested that the illegal electricity extraction could have caused the fire.

He said: "It may be that it was that unlawful abstraction of electricity that caused the fire, highlighting the danger of engaging in this type of activity."

Sentencing Hallaci to six months in a young offender institution, Jude Potter added: "In my view, the offending is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.

"You will serve half of the sentence in custody and then be released, notionally, on licence.

"I say notionally because the authorities can now determine whether or not you should be deported back to Albania."