AN ILLEGAL immigrant has been jailed for two years for his part in East Lancashire's largest ever cannabis farm.

Viet Kak Dinh, 27, had been brought from London to look after the sophisticated operation, which was in three houses knocked into one on Mary Street in Burnley.

The defendant admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis, which had an estimated value of £35,000.

Judge Beverley Lunt said Dinh had had a high level of trust placed in him and was more than a caretaker.

She said he had been given instructions on the care of the plants, valuable machinery and on picking, drying and storing the cannabis leaves.

Judge Lunt added she could not recommend Dinh for deportation but she did not have the power as papers had not been served, but she would have done.

Police said the farm was the largest single haul of the drug ever seen in East Lancashire.

Det Insp Dean Holden, head of Pennine division's targeted crime unit, which investigated the Mary Street drugs factory, welcomed the sentence.

He added: "This is another example of this division's efforts in tackling organised crime.

"The discovery of this cannabis farm suggest that it was not just local individuals who were involved - indeed we think this was linked to organised gangs in Manchester."

Investigations are ongoing into other possible links between East Lancashire and the Manchester cannabis trade.

Justin Hayhoe, prosecuting, told the court on May 26 police followed and stopped a Mitsubishi 4 x 4 outside 20 to 22 Mary Street. Dinh and another occupant Long Mai Chu went into the property. Officers had a search warrant, knocked on the door and forced entry when there was no reply.

Dinh and Chu were in the kitchen and police immediately noticed that there was a strong smell of cannabis coming from upstairs and the sound of electric fans. Officers went upstairs and found a sophisticated and established hydroponic system with effectively a cannabis farm in place.

Mr Hayhoe said officers discovered a total of 167 immature cannabis plants and 173 mature flowering plants.

The electricity supply had been interfered with to allow illegal use of power and United Utilities estimated the enterprise would have lost them £100 a week.

The prosecutor said an expert estimated the yield from the farm would have been 6.263 kilograms of cannabis worth £35,000 on the street.

Mr Hayhoe added the Crown had earlier offered no evidence against Mr Chu.

Philip Holden, representing Dinh, said he had come to Britain through China, Russia and Europe arriving at Luton Airport due to religious persecution.

The defendant had no employment and had been offered some work in Burnley.

He was brought to the town and at the time he didn't know what he was going to be required to do.

The house was effectively a roof over his head and his profit was minimal.