Faces of seven drug dealers - including men from Tipton and Darlaston - jailed for almost 40 years for major supply operation across the UK
Seven men have been given prison sentences totalling almost 40 years after being convicted of their involvement in a major drug supply ring based in the West Midlands.
In May 2022, officers from West Midlands Police and the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (WM ROCU) started an investigation into the sale and production of cannabis on a large scale across the UK.
The men, arrested and charged as part of the investigation, all pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply and produce cannabis and, on Wednesday, September 17, they were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
Erikson Kararaj, 34, of Perry Wood Road in Birmingham, was jailed for eight years, Arben Sinjari, 48, of Esher Road in Birmingham was jailed for seven years, Islam Toro, 31, of Railway Street in Tipton, was jailed for five years and eight months, Klajdi Zyka, 28, of Station Street in Darlaston, was jailed for five years, Qemal Sakaj, 29, of Borrrowdale Road in Birmingham, was jailed for four years and six months, Avdulla Delbashi, 31, of Fountain Road in Birmingham, was jailed for four years and four months and Soni Gremshi, 37, of Greenholm Road in Birmingham, was jailed for three years and four months.
The investigation found Sinjari and Kararaj led the group, which produced cannabis at a number of properties around the UK, illegally bypassing electricity to do so.
The other men were involved in the maintenance of the grows, and would then be involved in selling and delivering several kilograms of it at a time across the country.
Phone messages and handwritten ledgers, recovered by officers from West Midlands Police from Sinjari’s address, showed the group were ultimately responsible for the production and sale of hundreds of kilograms of cannabis.
In total, 17 properties converted to grow cannabis were linked to the group, including in Birmingham and Coventry, and further afield in places like Leicester and Rotherham.
More than 4,000 cannabis plants were seized during the course of the investigation, with a potential street value of millions of pounds, while officers further recovered tens of thousands of pounds in cash, several kilograms of herbal cannabis, and equipment for the cultivation of drugs.
Detective Sargeant Ryan Matthews said: “This was a complex investigation which led officers from the West Midlands across the country, unravelling a high-level drug supply network.
“Ultimately these men have all made a choice to try and profit from the sale of drugs, and their actions have rightly landed them in prison.
“The harm that drugs and drug dealing bring to communities should not be underestimated, and we remain absolutely committed to tackling it and bringing those involved to justice.”
