Five men jailed as £160k Coventry cannabis operation dismantled

Five Coventry men have been handed prison sentences after a Warwickshire Police investigation uprooted the group’s wide-reaching cannabis empire.

Cannabis farms linked to the gang were discovered at three separate addresses in Rugby and Coventry in an investigation last September, with more than £15,000 in cash confiscated at a fourth property.

The total value of the seized drugs was £162,000, according to Warwickshire Police.

The investigation began after a tip-off directed police to a house on Grosvenor Road, Rugby. Suspicious of the property’s drawn curtains, whirring fans, and the smell of cannabis, detectives forcibly entered the house, and found a total of 82 cannabis plants across several rooms.

Last to be detained was 23-year-old Klajdi Agalliu, after he appeared at the property and rang the buzzer whilst police were still inside

Three members of the group, Miklovan Myrtaj, 33, Rexhino Myrtaj, 27, and Laurenc Mingaj, 30, were all arrested within the house. After commandeering their mobile phones, police found that frequent deliveries were being made to a flat in Bedford Street, Coventry.

A fourth member of the gang, Martin Myrtaj, 25, was later apprehended at this Coventry address, where police also seized the cash sum. Last to be detained was 23-year-old Klajdi Agalliu, after he appeared at the property and rang the buzzer whilst police were still inside.

Following a search of Agalliu’s car, police located a utility bill for a house on Torrington Avenue, Coventry. Upon arriving there, a further 32 cannabis plants were discovered by detectives.

A final property, on Richmond Street, Coventry, was also pinpointed by police, after an examination of Mingaj’s phone revealed that he had visited the site 83 times. There, police found the largest of the gang’s cannabis farms, consisting of 119 plants.

All five men have now been sentenced for their involvement in the cannabis enterprise, and will now serve a year in prison, with the exception of Agalliu who will only be behind bars for three months.

Their sentencing comes soon after a separate raid on another Coventry cannabis farm on 15 May, where West Midlands Police unearthed a 500-plant operation as part of ‘Operation Target’, a major campaign against organised crime.

We are committed to doing all we can to disrupt the activity of those involved in this trade

Det. Sgt. Tom Quinlan, Rugby Serious and Organised Crime Team

Speaking on the dismantling of the gang’s £162,000 enterprise, Detective Sergeant Tom Quinlan of Rugby Serious and Organised Crime Team said: “We recognise the impact the production of cannabis has on our communities and the concern it causes residents.”

He affirmed that: “We are committed to doing all we can to disrupt the activity of those involved in this trade.”

“I urge members of the public with information to contact us via our website or by calling 101. You can also report anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.”

A guide of suspicious signs to look out for has been published by Warwickshire Police.