Liverpool-based Albanian gang jailed over £1m cannabis seizure

Seven members of an Albanian gang who were linked to the production of £1m worth of cannabis have been jailed.

Merseyside Police said a "complex investigation" led officers to raid homes and DIY shops in Liverpool and a disused mill in Bradford in 2020.

More than 1,000 plants were seized, along with a pistol, which one gang member had posed with for a selfie.

The men were jailed for between nine months and six years at Liverpool Crown Court.

A force spokesman said the gang, led by Bertold Cara and Jurgen Miha, used houses, hydroponic shops and DIY stores in the Anfield area of Liverpool, along with a disused mill on Filey Street in Bradford, where officers found a "highly sophisticated cannabis farm".

The two 25-year-old gang leaders, of no fixed abode, were handed five years and four years 10 months in jail respectively for conspiracy to produce cannabis.

Arber Disha, 26, of High Road in Tottenham, London, was also given three years five months in prison for the same offence.

Rixhers Shehi, who the force said was "kind enough to take selfies" with the seized semi-automatic handgun, was jailed for six years for possession of a firearm and ammunition.

The 20-year-old, of no fixed abide, also received a 22-month concurrent sentence for production of cannabis.

Three other men received sentences ranging from nine to 22 months for the same offence.

Speaking after sentencing, Det Insp Lowe said the operation to capture the gang had been "conducted during an unprecedented time across the UK, when significant parts of the country were restricted", which had "presented a lot of challenges, but also opportunities in identifying travelling criminals".

"This was a complex investigation into an organised crime gang who... were involved in large-scale criminality across Merseyside and West Yorkshire," he said.

"We will work with other forces and agencies across borders, to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups who cause such damage to our communities."

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