A pair of men snared as part of raids on £2.3 million cannabis farms in Dundee have been jailed.
Albanian nationals Xauliano Mataj, 32 and Vilson Bilo, 29, were involved in an industrial-scale operation in a former social club and takeaway on Lorne Street.
Thousands of plants of varied maturity worth millions of pounds were recovered from the building and another premises on Ash Street.
Mattresses, food and other supplies were found within.
Two other men – Adiol Hila and Indrit Saraci – are still to be sentenced for their roles in the Ash Street operation.
Dundee Sheriff Court heard how Bilo and Mataj will be deported from the UK after serving prison sentences.
Power cut for search safety
At a previous hearing, prosecutor Joanne Ritchie said the Lorne Street warehouse had several growing rooms containing plastic sheeting on the wall along.
There were lighting units, air vents and filters, despite the electricity supply having been shut off previously.
Two rooms were created within the roof space and accessed by ladders, which Ms Ritchie said were “not very safe to walk on”.
She said: “On January 8 2024, a search warrant was executed.
“Entry was gained by cutting through a side door. The premises was found to be locked from within.
“Upon forcing entry, a large-scale cannabis cultivation was found.
“The majority of the rooms were converted into a complex cannabis cultivation containing ventilation systems, air systems, heat lamps and a watering system.
“Both accused were traced hiding within the lower level of the building.
“Prior to entering, power was cut to the entire street to ensure the safety of officers and those within.”
Custody expected
Police found 912 plants in the Lorne Street building, which had a maximum potential street value of £684,000.
A similar cannabis cultivation was discovered on Ash Street, which had a maximum potential street value of £1,681,500.
Bilo and Mataj, both prisoners at HMP Perth, previously pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of the Class B drug and were sentenced following the preparation of reports.
According to their solicitors, both expected to receive a custodial sentence.
Angela Clay, for Bilo, said an official investigation into whether her client had been the victim of human trafficking returned a “negative” result.
Sentencing
Sheriff Gregor Murray said: “It’s very clear from the Crown’s narrative that on whatever basis, the cannabis plants amount to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
“It could perhaps go without saying that you both deserve to be punished for your involvement and it must deter others from acting in a similar way.
“It is accepted that custodial terms must be imposed.
“I take account of the circumstances in which you came to be in Dundee, that you have no previous convictions, that it was unlikely either of you were going to significantly gain financially, that you are both eventually going to be deported, that you have expressed a degree of remorse and, in particular, the timing of your pleas of guilty.”
Both were jailed for 26 months.
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