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TWO dopey gardeners grew a giant cannabis farm - just yards from a court of law.

Police found an empty pub with more than £250,000 worth of plants just around the corner from Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in South Wales.

And the two Albanian “gardeners” were hauled into the same courthouse.

Valdet Malluta, 20, and Ajet Gjuzi, 23, were jailed in the building they could see from their drugs factory windows.

Prosecutor Matthew Cobbe said many floors of the Pitman’s pub had been turned into a “cannabis factory”.

He said: “Every room in the large building contained lighting and ventilation equipment, and all the walls were covered with reflective material.

"Police recovered 1,095 cannabis plants in all in various stages of growth.”

Malluta and Gjuzi said they had been illegally trafficked from Albania and were still in debt to the traffickers.

Alexander Greenwood, defending Malluta, said: “He came here believing the streets were paved with gold.”

Judge Tom Crowther QC told the pair their operation was “industrial” in size.

Malluta and Gjuzi admitted producing cannabis and were jailed for two years. They will be automatically deported on release from prison.