Fifth man sentenced over £2.4m cannabis farms
A fifth man has received a prison sentence following the discovery of two major cannabis farms in a Borders town centre on the same day.
Four men have already been jailed for their part in the two drugs cultivations – with a street value of up to £2.4m – found in buildings opposite one another on Channel Street in Galashiels.
At Jedburgh Sheriff Court, Shpetim Halil, 36, from Albania, was given a 19-month jail sentence after admitting being involved in supplying cannabis following the discovery of drugs at a former bookmakers in March last year.
The sentence was backdated to when he was first taken into custody and, with prisoners only serving half of their sentence, he is now eligible for release.
The court was told that police raided the former Ladbrokes premises in Channel Street last March and found more than 1,000 plants – and information about another drugs cultivation in an old Woolworths store across the road.
The total street value of the haul recovered at the two sites was between £900,000 and £2.4m.
Four men from Albania have already been given jail terms ranging from 18 months to 28 months for their role in the drugs farms.
Joanis Melcani, 27, and Laorent Balla, 21, were jailed for 24 months and 18 months respectively after they admitted being concerned in the production of cannabis.
Besim Velija, 64, was given a jail sentence of 21 months in connection with the cannabis discovered at the bookmakers after he admitted being involved in supplying the drug.
Petrit Musta, 47, was sentenced to 28 months after being found trying to flee the scene down a fire escape.
Drugs with a street value of up to £2.4m were found at two sites in Galashiels last year. Read More
