An organised crime group converted an abandoned school building into a large-scale cannabis growing operation, a court has heard. When police swooped on the school they found more than 700 plants being cultivated along with dozens more which had been harvested and were being dried and processed.

Swansea Crown Court heard officers also found three so-called “gardeners” working at the building – two were arrested in the school but one fled over a fence and into nearby fields and got away. A search operation involving ground units and a drone was launched, and the fugitive was found and arrested. All three men have been sent to prison but those who set up the industrial operation remain unidentified.

Brian Simpson, prosecuting, told the court that on the afternoon of November 15 last year police executed a search warrant at the abandoned primary school in Llandysul in response to suspicions that it was being used for the production of cannabis. Officers gained entry through a first floor fire escape and discovered an “extensive and sophisticated” growing operation spread across three floors. The court heard police encountered three men in the school, now known to be Armeld Troksi, Njazi Gjana, and Ervin Gjana – Troksi was found hiding in a toilet, Njazi Gjana ran off down a corridor but was chased and caught, and Ervin managed to exit the building, climb the perimeter fence, and escape into undergrowth. A search operation was launched to find the fleeing man involving officers on the ground and a drone in the air. He was caught later that afternoon, soaking wet and covered in bramble scratches, walking along the road towards Pencader.

The court heard a search of the school revealed 737 plants growing in seven rooms with accompanying lights, heaters, ventilation, and a watering system. Another 82 already-harvested plants were found hanging up in a “drying room”. Police also found a living area stocked with “a large mount of food” and which had washed clothes hanging up to dry. The prosecutor said officers also recovered a number of mobile phones but they had not yet been downloaded and analysed. The court heard the potential value of the cannabis operation was up to £358,000. You can read about the largest cannabis farms found in Wales in the last 12 months here

In their subsequent interviews 29-year-old Troksi and 24-year-old Ervin Gjana answered “no comment” to all questions asked while Njazi Gjana said he had been in the UK for some 10 years after entering in the back of a lorry from France and had worked in construction in the London area. The 27-year-old said he had been in west Wales for two weeks prior to the police raid. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here

Armeld Troksi and Njazi Gjana, both of Empire Avenue, Edmonton, London, and Ervin Gjana, of Durham Avenue, Romford, London, had all previously pleaded guilty to producing cannabis when they appeared in the dock for sentencing. Troksi has a previous conviction for producing cannabis from April 2023 for which he was sentenced to 30 weeks in prison at Warwick Crown Court. Ervin Gjana has a previous conviction for the simple possession of cannabis while Njazi Gjana has no previous convictions. Barrister Daniel Jones, who represented all three defendants, said he had made written submissions to the court about the defendants “which would not be improved by repetition”.

Judge Paul Thomas KC told the three defendants they had been heavily involved in the running of a “very professional set up” involving more than 800 plants. With one-quarter discounts for their guilty pleas Troksi was sentenced to three years and four months in prison, and Gjana and Gjana to two-and-a-half years in prison each. The court heard Troksi and Njazi Gjana are in the UK illegally but Ervin Gjana’s immigration status is “not entirely clear”.

Speaking after the sentencing Dyfed-Powys Police detective constable Ben Nicholls said: “I’d like to thank the Llandysul community for their vigilance and proactivity in reporting suspicious activity to police. The information we receive from members of the community helps us build the picture of illegal activity that allows us to execute warrants such as this to ensure our area remains hostile to those who deal drugs. The sentencing serves as a reminder of our dedication to removing and preventing harmful substances damaging our communities, and we thank the public for the crucial role they play in this work.”

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