Trio grew cannabis inside former Llandysul school building

Western Telegraph

26-05-2025

Armeld Troksi, Njazi Gjana, and Ervin Gjana tried to flee when police raided a major cannabis operation in an empty school building on Heol Y Fran on November 15.
Troksi was found hiding in the toilet with pieces of dried cannabis stuck to him, and Njazi Gjana told officers: 'This is the first time I've ever done anything like this' when he was found.
Hundreds of cannabis plants were found inside the empty school building. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)
Ervin Gjana, now 25, of Durham Avenue in Romford, climbed over a wire fence and fled into nearby fields. He was located with the help of a drone and arrested walking along a nearby road.
They each pleaded guilty to producing cannabis.
Troksi was jailed for three years and four months, whilst the two others were each sentenced to two-and-a-half years.
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Inside the former school building, officers found a total of 819 cannabis plants, prosecutor Brian Simpson said. Dyfed-Powys Police have since confirmed that the plants were capable of producing cannabis worth up to £620,000.
The trio returned to court for a Proceeds of Crime Act hearing, where it was agreed that they had benefited from their offending to the sum of £458,500.
However, they were each found to have no available assets to be seized, so Judge Paul Thomas KC handed each defendant a confiscation order in the nominal sum of £1.
Cannabis plants found inside the empty school building in Llandysul. (Image: Dyfed-Powys Police)
At their sentencing hearing, the court heard that Njazi Gjana and Troksi, both of Empire Avenue in the Edmonton area of London, were in the UK illegally.
Gjana, 27, told officers he had been at the property for around two weeks. He said he arrived in the UK 10 years ago on a lorry from France, after which he had been working in the construction industry in London.
He added that he was pressured to harvest cannabis for cash – and had been promised £6,000 which he had not received.
29-year-old Troksi said he was 'genuinely scared' and had been told to work there to pay off a debt.
'You will serve up to half of your sentence,' Judge Thomas told the trio at their sentencing hearing. 'What happens thereafter is a matter for the immigration authorities.'