Illegal immigrant behind £6M cannabis farm in abandoned WH Smith in Scots town jailed

AN ILLEGAL immigrant caught working in a £6million cannabis factory located in a former WH Smith shop has been jailed for three years and three months.
Petrit Gjuraj, 24, paid £20,000 to come from Albania to work in a large-scale drugs cultivation plant in an ex retail outlet in High Street, Kirkcaldy, Fife.
3
Petrit Gjuraj worked at a £6million cannabis factory in Kirkcaldy, Fife
Credit: Alamy
3
The cultivation was in a former WH Smith store on the town's High Street
Credit: YouTube/Shepherd Chartered Surveyors
3
Gjuraj has been imprisoned for three years and three months
Credit: Shepherd Chartered Surveyors
The High Court in Edinburgh heard how he was arrested after police raided the premises in 2022.
The court heard how officers who searched the three-storey building found a total of 1,330 cannabis plants, which were being grown on every floor.
Workers slept in a small area which consisted of three double mattresses.
The court also heard detectives also found a large TV which showed live CCTV footage from a camera located at the back of the premises which focused on the back door.
Drugs squad officers found the cannabis being grown there could have netted the organised crime group responsible for the plant a total of £6,596,800.
The story emerged after the accused pleaded guilty to earlier this year to being concerned in cultivating cannabis between March and May 2022 before judge Lord Scott.
Today, Gjuraj, of Paisley, Renfrewshire, appeared before Lord Scott for sentencing, who said that the offence was so serious that he needed to go to prison.
Passing sentence, Lord Scott said: 'This was a sophisticated operation. You were involved for a period of two months.
'You deny playing a leading role. But the extent of the operation must have been apparent to you - you were locked inside with the drugs.
'It is clear that in all the circumstances that a custodial sentence is the only appropriate disposal.'
Evil killer butchered girlfriend before severing head & trying to dismember her at Scots flat
At a hearing last month, Lord Scott heard about the moment police arrested Gjuraj, an Albanian national.
Prosecutor Alan Cameron KC said: 'Police Scotland received intelligence that cannabis was being cultivated within the three storey, disused premises at 183-187 High Street, Kirkcaldy.
'Police cars arrived at the front and rear of the premises to search them. Police cars arrived at the front and rear of the premises.
'The accused and three other males were seen from the police helicopter exiting onto the roof of the building via a fire escape and running west along the roof of he adjacent building via a fire escape and running west along the roof the adjacent building.
'It became apparent to officers that the males had no means of escape. After the males made a few attempts to conceal themselves, they were observed to be engaging with the officers and a ladder was requested.
'The males descended the ladder in turn nd were detained by the officers on the street.'
According to Google Maps, the premises raided by police used to be occupied by a branch of WH Smith.
A branch of clothing giants New Look was once located close by as was a branch of Waterstones.
Mr Cameron told the court that the accused told police that he had paid a person in Albania £20,000 to come to the UK.
Mr Cameron added: 'The arrangement was that should he not carry out the work then his family in Albania would have to sell their property to repay the debt.
'He made his own way to Belgium and then hid in a lorry and by hiding in the lorry was able to enter the UK.
'He worked in London before moving to Scotland, where he worked for two months in the building where he was subsequently found by the police.
'He is an Albanian national who has no legal entitlement to be in the UK. The usual national referral mechanism checks were made with the Home Office and it was determined he had not ben trafficked.'
The court heard that the premises raided by the police were set up for 'maximum cannabis cultivation' - officers reckon the OCG spent £70,000 on cultivation.
Detectives recovered 392 cannabis plants from the ground floor, 740 plants from the first floor and 146 plants from the top floor.
Mr Cameron added: 'If the cannabis cultivated was sold in one eighth deals that would amount to approximately 164,920 deals at £40 per deal. This would have yielded approximately £6,596,800.
'STOP officers offer the opinion the accused was trusted by an organised crime group which had invested in the production of the cannabis and would have yielded significant sums from its onward sales.'
On Thursday, defence solicitor advocate Donna Maitland told the court that her client slept on a mattress in a "locked factory".
She said: "He didn't have any keys and was not able to leave. He was terrified of getting into trouble from the gang."
"There were regular threats to kill him and his family if he did not do what he was told. He tells me this has been his first involvement in the legal system."
"He was exploited and had no influence on those above him in the chain," she said.
Ms Maitland also said his position was that he was trafficked to the UK to work off a debt.
A debt of almost pounds 20,000 was amassed through medical bills for his mother.
She said: "It is clear he is remorseful and is very anti drugs.'
Gjuraj was then taken into custody.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Daily Record

8 hours ago

• Daily Record

Vulnerable Scots pensioner missing as police launch search

Valerie Dyer was last seen in the Carrbridge area and was wearing a distinctive white floppy hat. A frantic search has been launched in an effort to trace a Scots pensioner. Valerie Dyer, 81, was last seen around 2.30pm on Friday, June, 20 in the area of Dalnahaitnach Hill, Carrbridge, in the Highland. ‌ Cops describe Valeria as white, 5 ft 6 in tall and is of slim build. She was wearing dark blue trousers, a light blue blouse and a white floppy hat when she was last seen. ‌ Inspector Kay Macrae said: 'We are growing increasingly concerned for the welfare of Valerie and extensive searches are underway to trace her. 'I would ask anyone who who has been in the Dalnahaitnach Hill area today to let us know if they saw her today at any time. 'Anyone who knows where he is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2030 of Friday, 20 June, 2025."

Scottish Sun

8 hours ago

• Scottish Sun

Woman, 21, charged after fatal crash where three men died on Scots road

She is due to appear at Falkirk Sheriff Court at a later date NICKED Woman, 21, charged after fatal crash where three men died on Scots road Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A WOMAN has been charged after three men died in a fatal crash in Falkirk. The 21-year-old was arrested and charged in connection with the alleged incident on Moss Road near Dunmore. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Cops confirmed a 21-year-old woman was arrested and charged in connection with the crash Credit: Alamy Connor Page, 21, Reece Williams, 23, and Lewis Soden, 24, lost their lives following the alleged incident. They were travelling in a white Ford Focus which came off the road around 6.15pm on July 26. Connor, Reece and Lewis were all passengers in the vehicle. The female driver of a white Ford Focus has since been arrested and charged in connection with a road traffic offence. She is due to appear at Falkirk Sheriff Court at a later date. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal. We previously told how the grieving families paid tribute to the three men. A statement from Reece's relatives read: "Reece will forever be a much-loved son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend. "There will not be a day where we don't hold space to remember Reece and the memories that we made together. "We'd like to express our thanks to the emergency services, witnesses and to everyone who has sent their condolences." Light plane crashes near Boston leaving one person dead and second fighting for their life as feds launch probe Lewis' family said: "Lewis has and will forever be a much-loved son, brother, grandson, nephew, and friend to many. "There will not be a day where Lewis won't be missed and where we won't hold room in our hearts to remember him and the memories that we all made together. "We would also like to express our thanks to all the emergency services, witnesses and to everyone who has sent their condolences."

Wales Online

10 hours ago

• Wales Online

Police believe this Ford is a 'pool car' used by an organised crime group

Police believe this Ford is a 'pool car' used by an organised crime group Since officers seized the car, no one has come forward to claim it... It was stopped by Welsh police (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police ) Police intercepted a drugs courier driving what detectives believe is a "pool car" belonging to an organised crime group, a court has heard. Officers stopped the vehicle on the outskirts of Llanelli after it had driven to Wales from the Midlands. Swansea Crown Court heard that onboard the Ford was a kilo of cannabis worth around £11,000. A judge has now ordered the forfeiture of the car - but said it is open to anyone to claim ownership if they want it back. ‌ Sian Cutter, prosecuting, said on May 15 this year a car which had travelled from the Midlands was stopped by police on the road between Hendy and Llangennch. ‌ Driving the car was 23-year-old Bledart Livadhi, and a search of the vehicle uncovered a bag containing a kilo of cannabis with a street value of up to £11,000. The defendant was arrested and in his subsequent interview told officers he had borrowed the car from a friend and knew nothing about any drugs. The prosecutor said the defendant's phone had not been analysed as officers did not have the PIN. Article continues below The court heard the car was registered to a man living in the Midlands but the insurance was held by a company. The prosecutor said police believe the Ford is a "pool car" used by an organised crime group. She added that since the car had been seized a month ago "nobody has come forward to claim it". For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter Bledart Livadhi, of Vaughan Street, Leicester, had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. ‌ The plea was entered on the basis that he was acting as a courier, a basis which was accepted by the prosecution. Alex Scott, for Livadhi, said the defendant was from Albania and had entered the UK illegally in 2019. He said the defendant has no settled status in the country though had recently applied to the Home Office for indefinite leave to remain. The advocate said his client had been "recruited by word of mouth" in the community and saw acting as a courier as a way to earn some money given legitimate means were not open to him because of his immigration status. ‌ He said Livadhi had asked him to apologise to the court and to the authorities for the harm he has caused. Judge Huw Rees said it was accepted that the defendant had been acting as a courier, and he said without evidence of any other journeys he felt to be sentenced for the one journey made on May 15. He said police had asked for the forfeiture of the car as they believed it belonged to an Albanian organised crime group, and said given the circumstances of the offending that was a reasonable belief. ‌ The judge told Livadhi he had entered the UK illegally and then committed a serious offence while in the country, and he said after the defendant has served his sentence the Home Office needs to deport him back to his home country. He said given the necessarily short nature of the custodial sentence on the sentencing guidelines, the authorities need to be alerted to the defendant's situation. With a one-quarter discount for his guilty plea Livadhi was sentenced to three months in prison. Defendants ordinarily serve up to half their sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Article continues below Judge Rees ordered the forfeiture of the car and said anyone who wished to make a claim to ownership could do so under the provisions of the Police (Property) Act 1897.