Three Albanian Men Jailed Nearly 20 Years for Industrial-Scale Cannabis Farm in Ayrshire

Three Albanian men, Elton Skenderi, Gjovalin Toma, and Eduard Daja, have been sentenced to nearly 20 years collectively for running a sophisticated cannabis factory at the disused Forum Shopping Centre in Irvine, Scotland. The operation, valued between £611,600 and £1.8 million, involved over 3,000 cannabis plants spread across two floors, with living quarters established on site. Police discovered the farm after a tip-off from Scottish Power about unusual energy usage, forcing entry through a barricaded door protected by CCTV. Daja, who breached a deportation order following a prior cannabis conviction in the UK, was sentenced to six years and nine months, including an additional nine months for violating the deportation. Judge Lord Mulholland condemned the men for engaging in large-scale criminality, emphasizing the extensive nature of the operation and dismissing claims of human trafficking or slavery. Evidence linking the men to the scene included forensic findings such as DNA on hair clippers, and all pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges.