Albanian crime syndicates are flooding Scotland with cannabis, causing serious concerns for law enforcement and local communities
Forfar: So, it turns out that Albanian crime gangs are really making a mess in Scotland. They’re behind a ton of cannabis farms, raking in millions. It’s wild!
The Daily Record has been digging into this, showing how serious the situation is. Former MSP Graeme Pearson, who knows his stuff about drugs, says these gangs are shaking up communities big time.
He’s even suggested that energy companies should set up hotlines for police. Why? Because these farms use a lot of electricity, and that could help catch the bad guys early.
One crazy example? They turned the Forfar Swimming Pool into a huge cannabis farm! Three guys ended up in jail for that one.
Each cannabis plant can make the big bosses about £1,000. They’re operating from London and other cities, sending people to random towns in Scotland to set up shop.
Police Scotland has been busting these operations left and right, finding signs of previous grows everywhere. It’s like a revolving door of Albanian gardeners moving around, sharing their skills.
Take Ilir Kasa, for instance. He got caught visiting two of his farms in Scotland and ended up with an eight-year sentence. He thought he could play it cool, but nope!
His operation was pretty sophisticated, with over 350 plants and all the fancy equipment for growing. They even turned an old TSB bank in Glasgow into a cannabis factory. Who knew?
And it’s not just him. Other guys like Adiol Hila and Indrit Saraci got caught with a £1.7 million cannabis farm in Dundee. They came over in small boats from France and got sucked into this whole drug scene.
Then there’s Arber Ketuka, who tried to escape from a property that was also a cannabis farm. He got nabbed after a meter engineer tipped off the police. Talk about bad luck!
Even older folks like Xhafer Furriku got involved. He came to the UK for dental work and ended up helping with a £200,000 cannabis farm. He got three years in jail for that.
These gangs are building complex setups with wiring and ventilation systems. It’s like they’re running a legit business, but it’s all illegal!
So, yeah, the situation is pretty intense. The police are on it, but it’s clear that these crime gangs are a real problem in Scotland.
