Albanian drugs gang turned disused swimming pool into cannabis farm growing drugs worth £200,000

 Xhafer Furriku is facing deportation after admitting to tending the massive cannabis crop at Forfar swimming pool in AngusFurriku was one of three men apprehended after police discovered 250 plants in the former changing and pool area of empty building Swimming pool was sold by Angus Council nearly five months before the drugs farm was discovered, Dundee Sheriff Court told

An Albanian drugs gang turned a disused swimming pool into a massive cannabis farm with two members already serving sentences and a third warned he’s facing jail and deportation.

Xhafer Furriku has been remanded in custody and faces deportation after he admitted tending to a £200,000 cannabis crop in Angus.

The 65-year-old who was trafficked to the UK to be the ‘gardener’ at Forfar Swimming Pool, admitted cultivating cannabis in the disused leisure pool facility on 8 August, 2023.

Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith said: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, I consider this to be a large-scale commercial cultivation site. Sentence has to act not only as punishment, but to deter others.

Police discovered 250 cannabis plants worth £187,500 within the disused Forfar Swimming Pool building

‘I accept that your role is to be characterised most likely as that of a gardener. Nevertheless, having regard to the substantial commercial nature of the enterprise, a custodial sentence is inevitable.

‘I would consider bail to be inappropriate at this stage. I consider you to be a flight risk, and in any event, I am being invited to consider your deportation.’

Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson told Dundee Sheriff Court: ‘This is a disused swimming pool, sitting empty for a number of years. The property is boarded up to prevent members of the public accessing it.

The building had been sold by Angus Council just five months before the cannabis farm was discovered

‘Intelligence was received by police about its suspected purpose for a cannabis cultivation and a drugs search warrant was granted.

‘Prior to entry the power was cut to make the area safe. An angle grinder was used to force entry by cutting two handles off the disabled access door.

‘Officers made their way to the basement area of the building where they discovered a significant cannabis cultivation. It was within the disused swimming pool and changing area.

‘They traced the accused and two others were apprehended as they attempted to flee from the area. It was established the accused could not speak any English.’

When officers were eventually able to quiz Furriku about being in Scotland and monitoring the drug farm, he said: ‘I came here to clean and paint.’

Mrs Wilkinson told the court that another room was also full of the cannabis crop and in total the farm amounted to 250 plants with a potential yield worth £187,500.

She asked the court to formally order Furriku’s deportation and said it had been confirmed that he had no legal right to remain in the United Kingdom. Sentence was deferred.

Illegal immigrants Hajri Musa and Gerald Daci have already been jailed for a total of six years for their role in the swimming pool drug growing scheme.

The disused pool had lain empty since 2017 and had been sold off by Angus Council to a mystery buyer for £50,000 just months before the cultivation came to light.

Fiscal depute Gavin Letford told Dundee Sheriff Court that both men were Albanian nationals who had entered the United Kingdom illegally.

Receipts were found in the hastily-assembled living area which showed the gang had bought supplies from Asda and B&Q to set up the sophisticated operation.

All three men admitted cultivating cannabis on 8 August last year. Musa and Daci were previously jailed for three years each.

Solicitor Ali Short, for Musa, 39, from Paisley, said her client had submitted an asylum claim but had no status in the UK and would continue to be held in custody by the Home Office.

Daci, 21, from London, was said to have been in the UK illegally for a number of years and had already notched up a previous conviction for a firearms offence.

The former Forfar pool - which was gifted to the town by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie - was sold by Angus Council nearly five months before the drugs farm was discovered.

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