Drug gang's Cannabis factory uncovered after white van spotted on CCTV
A white van spotted on CCTV led police to uncover an £88,000 cannabis factory.
The factory was found spread out over three floors of an empty shop on a high street in Bangor in North Wales. Bedri Elezi, 36, who was living in Fairfield, Liverpool, Agron Aruci, 30, and Fabjol Mucaj, 21, all Albanian nationals, pleaded guilty to being concerned in production of a controlled drug of Class B - cannabis - at the site.
They appeared in court on Thursday, September 25, for sentencing. Prosecutor John Philpotts told the court police had been watching CCTV of Bangor High Street on March 22 this year when they spotted a small white van parked outside an empty shop at 5am, North Wales Live reports.
Their suspicions were aroused because they knew the shop was unoccupied. They could see two males moving materials between the shop and the van, and an officer went to investigate. The prosecutor said Elezi ran away but was caught nearby.
He had £300 cash and the van keys. Aruci, who was wearing gardening gloves, tried to escape out of the back of the building but was detained nearby.
Mucaj was arrested soon afterwards. Police found a large cannabis grow in the empty shop over three storeys.
Mr Philpotts said: "There were living quarters in the building and a CCTV monitoring system had been installed. There was (also) evidence the electricity supply had been tampered with."
Police interviewed the men. Aruci denied involvement while Elezi and Mucaj claimed they had been acting under duress. A police expert estimated the cannabis plants could have weighed seven to 21 kilos and produced a yield worth at least £45,000 if sold in bulk or up to £88,000 at street deal prices.
Matthew Buckland, defending Elezi, said he was "principally a driver" who was a "waged employee and regarded as expendable" by others. The barrister said Elezi was married with a stepson, he has been in the UK but "does not have indefinite leave to remain".
Richard Edwards, for Aruci, said he arrived in the UK "by dinghy from France" and was told he had to pay off the debt for travelling into this country. He had hoped to work in the construction industry but ended up producing cannabis.
Matthew Dunford, representing Mucaj, said his client arrived in the UK by lorry. He was in debt to the people who arranged the trip and was worried his family in Albania would be harmed if he did not do as he was told.
The judge Her Honour Nichola Saffman jailed Elezi, of Lilley Road, Fairfield, Liverpool, for 24 months. She also jailed Aruci and Mucaj, both of no fixed address, for 22 months each.
She made no recommendations about deportation, saying that it was a matter for the UK authorities.
