Two Men Imprisoned Following Raid on Large-Scale Cannabis Cultivation Operation

Glendian Daci and Aurel Xhoka have each received a prison sentence of nearly four years after being apprehended while attempting to escape from what Police Scotland identified as one of the largest cannabis cultivation operations discovered. Law enforcement personnel located the two men fleeing a vacant commercial property situated on West Stewart Street in Greenock, Inverclyde, during an operation conducted on January 21. Within the premises, authorities found over 6,000 plants, estimated to be worth between £1.2 million and £3.6 million upon reaching full maturity. Appearing before the High Court in Glasgow, Daci, aged 26, and Xhoka, aged 33, both Albanian nationals, were sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment apiece. This followed their admission of guilt regarding their participation in the manufacturing of the class B controlled substance. Police officers observed the two individuals exiting the structure after gaining entry by force during the enforcement action. Several entry points to the facility had been fortified with steel doors. The court was informed that law enforcement personnel uncovered two distinct cultivation zones, equipped with “partition walls, insulation, lighting, heating and drainage on an industrial scale.” Prosecutor Alan Cameron KC stated that the operation was “noted to be the largest cultivation which specialist drugs officers had seen.” A count revealed 3,029 plants in one room and an additional 2,972 plants in a second room. Officers also located living quarters and personal effects within the building. During the raid, Daci and Xhoka fled to the uppermost level of an adjacent multi-storey car park, subsequently descending stairs before being apprehended by officers. Tony Lenehan KC, representing Daci, stated that his client had arrived in the UK seeking a “better life” and had been “misled” regarding the reasons for his presence in Greenock. His legal counsel characterized him as a “reluctant sub-ordinate.” Conversely, Xhoka was not deemed to have been coerced in a legal context, though it was noted that if he had attempted to flee, he would have lacked a destination and the ability to communicate in English. Lady Drummond, who reduced each prison sentence from an initial five years, acknowledged that both individuals had served as “gardener” at the illicit drug cultivation site. She remarked: “I take into account the amount of cannabis plants and their value, which was significant. I also take into account the part that you both played in this.”