Three men who cultivated cannabis in a vacant school building in Llandysul have been ordered to repay only £1 each following their sentencing. Armeld Troksi, Njazi Gjana, and Ervin Gjana were apprehended during a police raid on November 15, where authorities discovered a substantial cannabis operation inside the abandoned school on Heol Y Fran.
During the raid, Troksi was found hiding in a toilet with remnants of dried cannabis on him, while Njazi Gjana claimed to the officers, ‘This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this.’ Authorities located 819 cannabis plants, which were estimated to have a potential street value of £620,000, according to prosecutor Brian Simpson.
Ervin Gjana, 25, attempted to escape by climbing over a wire fence and running into nearby fields but was tracked down and arrested with the assistance of a drone. All three men pleaded guilty to the charge of producing cannabis. Troksi received a sentence of three years and four months, while the other two received two-and-a-half-year sentences.
In a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, it was determined that the trio benefited from their illegal activities to the extent of £458,500. However, since they possessed no assets that could be seized, Judge Paul Thomas KC imposed a nominal confiscation order of just £1 on each defendant.
During their court appearance, it was revealed that both Njazi Gjana and Troksi were in the UK illegally. Njazi Gjana, 27, explained to officers that he had been residing in the school for approximately two weeks after entering the UK ten years ago by hiding in a lorry from France. He stated he was pressured into harvesting cannabis for compensation that he never received.
Troksi, 29, expressed that he felt ‘genuinely scared’ and that he had been instructed to work in the cannabis operation to pay off a debt. Judge Thomas informed the trio, ‘You will serve up to half of your sentence. What happens thereafter is a matter for the immigration authorities.’
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