Three jailed over £2.6m cannabis farm at Darwen trading estate
Police raiding units at the Apex Trading Estate in Darwen in October 2019 found 4,537 plants and 27 kg of dried cannabis, then Lancashire's largest seizure. On 8 September 2020 Preston Crown Court jailed Aurel Gjuzi and Jacek Pieczur for three years each and Sulejman Lloni for 54 months for producing the drug.
Police called the October 2019 find one of the largest cannabis farms ever discovered in Lancashire.[1][2]Officers raided units at the Apex Trading Estate on Lower Eccleshill Road in Darwen at about 10am on 8 October 2019 and at first estimated about 10,000 plants at various stages of growth.[1]Two men aged 24 and one aged 31 were charged with producing cannabis.[1]
Sentenced
The final count put before Preston Crown Court was 4,537 plants plus 27 kg of dried cannabis, valued together at £2,606,620.[2]The three men, who had been living in the unit, admitted producing a class B drug.[2]Aurel Gjuzi, 25, and Jacek Pieczur, 25, were each jailed for three years and Sulejman Lloni, 32, for 54 months, a combined total of just over ten years.[2]Officers also recovered £2,425 in cash and several mobile phones, and found the factory powered by underground cables bypassing the electricity supply, which took engineers 13 hours to make safe.[2]
Photos and video
Trays of young cannabis plants seized at the Apex Trading Estate in Darwen. Photo: Lancashire Police via BBC NewsPhoto details
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Source: BBC NewsHarvested cannabis hanging in a drying room at the Darwen farm. Photo: Lancashire Police via BBC NewsPhoto details
Darren Davis, 39, a homeless man, and his partner Catherine Evans, 36, were sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court in November 2026 for dealing 'spice' and a small cannabis quantity. Police found Davis carrying six bags of spice worth up to £750 on 2 June, and later searches of his hostel, a storage unit and Evans' home uncovered more drugs and thousands of pounds in cash.
Joel Niven, 20, of Walney near Barrow-in-Furness, was convicted of cannabis possession after officers recovered a sealed bag from him at Barrow Park. Magistrates fined him £80, ordered £117 in costs and surcharge, and sought forfeiture of the drugs. He had a previous caution for cannabis possession from December 2025.
Rorie Jeffs, 25, of Aylesbury, was found guilty of possession of cannabis at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court and ordered to pay £85 plus a further £26 surcharge. He was one of the most recent cases concluded at the court as reported in the 10 November 2026 round-up.
Three men were each jailed for four years over a large-scale cannabis factory in Greenock's former Tobacco Warehouse, raided in June 2025 with more than 1,000 plants. Ariel Ruko has appealed his sentence, with a hearing due at the High Court in Edinburgh on 17 November 2026.
