Men jailed over £1m cannabis operation
October 10, 2025
Men jailed over £1m cannabis operation
South Yorkshire PoliceSix men who were part of an organised crime group responsible for cultivating and supplying cannabis believed to be worth £1m have been jailed.
Police began investigating the group in April 2024 and warrants and traffic stops were executed in Doncaster and Barnsley, which helped identify the key players in the operation.
In October 2024, officers from West and South Yorkshire Police raided properties in Doncaster, Barnsley and in West Yorkshire, which led to the arrest of the six men.
All six later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class B drug and conspiracy to produce a Class B drug and were sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court on 7 and 8 October.
The men were sentenced as follows:
- Antony Morales, 38, of Ingram Row, Leeds, was jailed for five years and one month
- Darius Matikas, 41, of Kentmere Drive, Doncaster, was jailed for four years and three months
- Redas Klusas, 57, of Kingsway, Barnsley, was jailed for three years and four months
- Deividas Vilcinskas, 24, of Kentmere Drive, Doncaster, was jailed for two years and one month
- Deimantas Plytninkas, 28, of Kentmere Drive, Doncaster, was jailed for two years and one month
- Edgaras Cetyrkovskis, 31, of Southfield Crescent, Barnsley, was jailed for two years and six months.
South Yorkshire Police said after the investigation began in April, a traffic stop in May 2024 in Derbyshire uncovered 63 cannabis plants.
In June, a vehicle stopped in the Cambridgeshire area contained 40 cannabis plants.
In July, a warrant was executed on Edna Street in Bolton-upon-Dearne, which led to the discovery of a cannabis grow containing more than 1,000 plants and in September a vehicle was stopped in the Peterborough area containing 55 cannabis plants.
This was followed by the October raids, which resulted in the arrests.
South Yorkshire PoliceA force spokesperson said about £250,000 worth of cannabis plants, with a retail value of up to £1m, was seized during the investigation.
Det Supt Nicola Shimwell from South Yorkshire Police said the investigation had resulted in a “a criminal enterprise responsible for the illegal supply of drugs on a national scale” being dismantled.
“We know that cannabis cultivations are often linked to organised crime and the exploitation of vulnerable people,” she said.
“Targeting large-scale operations like this is vital in our work against organised criminality within our local communities.”
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