Latest news with #PetritGjuraj
Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Man jailed after cops uncover Scotland's biggest cannabis farm worth £6.3 million
Petrit Gjuraj was jailed for being concerned in the production of the controlled drug. A man has been jailed after cops raided a retail unit and seized £6.3 million worth of cannabis. Petrit Gjuraj, 24, was jailed for three years and three months at the High Court in Edinburgh today, Thursday, June 19 for being concerned in the production of the controlled drug. Acting on intelligence, cops raided a disused unit on Kirkcaldy's High Street on May 4, 2022, and discovered the cannabis farm over three stories of the building, worth up to £6.3 million. The sophisticated cultivation included a total of 1330 plants. Each area had irrigation, industrial heating and lighting units for the plants and there was living quarters for workers. Detective Sergeant Kayleigh Lewis, Fife CID, said: 'Uncovering a cultivation of this scale has a significant impact on the supply of cannabis onto Scotland's streets. 'I hope that this sentencing sends a clear message to anyone involved in the production and supply of illegal drugs that we will use all resources at our disposal to track you down and ensure you face the consequences. 'Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country's Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, and our officers are determined to protect members of the public from this type of criminality 'The support we receive from the public is vital and we urge anyone with information or concerns regarding drugs in their community to contact police through 101. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.'
STV News
a day ago
- STV News
Man jailed after former WH Smith turned into three-storey £6m cannabis factory
A man has been sentenced after a former branch of WH Smith in Fife was turned into a £6m cannabis factory. Petrit Gjuraj was sentenced to three years and three months in prison at the High Court in Edinburgh on Thursday. The 24-year-old was arrested after police caught him at the disused retail unit on High Street, Kirkcaldy, on May 4, 2022. Officers raided the unit and discovered a cannabis farm worth up to £6.3m. The farm included 1,330 plants over three storeys of the building, with each area having irrigation, industrial heating, and lighting units. Police said there were also living quarters for workers. Detective sergeant Kayleigh Lewis, Fife CID, said: 'Uncovering a cultivation of this scale has a significant impact on the supply of cannabis onto Scotland's streets. 'I hope that this sentencing sends a clear message to anyone involved in the production and supply of illegal drugs that we will use all resources at our disposal to track you down and ensure you face the consequences. 'Police Scotland remains committed to the Serious Organised Crime Taskforce and the country's Serious and Organised Crime Strategy, and our officers are determined to protect members of the public from this type of criminality 'The support we receive from the public is vital and we urge anyone with information or concerns regarding drugs in their community to contact police through 101. Alternatively, Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Courier
28-05-2025
- The Courier
Massive empty Kirkcaldy High Street store hid £6.5million cannabis farm
A man who paid £20,000 to come illegally to Britain became a key player in a £6.5 million cannabis farm brazenly located on busy Kirkcaldy High Street, a court heard. Petrit Gjuraj,24, was arrested after police caught him at a former branch of WH Smith in Kirkcaldy in 2022. The High Court in Edinburgh 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 heard detectives also found a large television which showed live CCTV footage from a camera at the back of the premises, focused on the back door. The cannabis being grown there could have netted the organised crime group a total of £6,596,800. On Wednesday, judge Lord Scott heard about the moment police arrested Gjuraj, an Albanian national with an address in Paisley. 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. '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 the adjacent building. 'It became apparent to officers that the males had no means of escape.' After trying to hide, they were brought down from the roof. Gjura pled guilty to being concerned in cultivating cannabis at the premises between March and May 2022. Mr Cameron told the court the accused told police he had paid someone in Albania £20,000 to come to the UK. '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.' The court was told he had no right to be in the UK and had not been trafficked. The premises – extensively damaged by fire in August 2022 – were set up for 'maximum cannabis cultivation'. Officers say the organised crime group 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.' Lord Scott remanded the accused in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing next month, after a background report has been prepared. He said: 'A prison sentence is inevitable here. 'This was clearly a vey significant drugs operation carried out on behalf of an organised crime group. 'The agreed narrative tells me that you must have been a person trusted by the serious organised crime group.' Gjuraj will be sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on June 19 2025.
