A gang who ran drug factories have received jail sentences totalling 37 years.

Police raided the cannabis farms - including two in Ashford - and discovered a "sophisticated " operation aimed at netting them up to £1.5 million per year.

Five of the gang - including people from Ashford, Sheerness and Maidstone - were convicted of conspiring to supply drugs following a long trial at Maidstone Crown Court and another six admitted various roles in the enterprise.

Prosecutor Christopher May told how on October 8, 2019, one of the men, Drilon Dishi, was stopped by police on the M20 heading to Ashford.

"He had a notebook and two mobile phones and led officers to his connection to, and involvement with, substantial and organised criminal activity, focused on the cultivation and production of cannabis on a large scale," he said.

Dishi was taken into custody and admitted the documents were his, but claimed they detailed ‘little jobs’ he had done on a farm in his native Albania.

He denied that the names of several people on the sheet were the identities of co-offenders and claimed that the name ‘Hekri’, referring to Hekuran Perhati, was in fact a name for a metal.

"These men were involved in a well organised and co-ordinated plot to produce and supply cannabis on a large scale, estimated to have yielded at least 100kg of the drug worth over £1 million in street value...."

A search of his property also led to £25,560 in criminally gained cash being seized and, despite his protestations of innocence, Dishi was initially charged with being concerned in the production of cannabis.

He was remanded in custody but later released on court bail before he was further arrested as part of the wider conspiracy uncovered in August 2020.

The ledger seized from Dishi, combined with his mobile phone records, provided detectives with a foundation of raw information which led to the identification of the Perhati brothers – Doris and Hekuran– as suspects.

Detectives were gradually able to build a detailed picture on the wider scale of the offending throughout early 2020, and a significant breakthrough came in June 2020 when a disused warehouse in rural Hertfordshire, was identified.

Mr May revealed that a light industrial unit known as The Mill at Watton-at-Stone was being used to cultivate cannabis.

Detectives were able to evidence that a number of suspects, including Doris, Ylber and Fation Perhati, completed building work to turn the premises into a thriving cannabis factory.

Police also discovered cannabis under commercial cultivation in Victoria Crescent and Essetford Road in Ashford.

He added: "Officers found 129 cannabis plants growing in four rooms, including the upstairs and the loft.

"These had a potential yield up to at least 10.8 kg, and potentially worth £162,000 when sold."

More than 485 plants were also seized in total during a complex investigation carried out by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. A further half kilo of the harvested drug was also seized, as well as cash in excess of £61,000.

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said: "This was serious organised crime. These defendants agreed to supply cannabis by growing it in large quantities.

"These were highly professional cannabis farms which were intended to be as permanent as they could be. Some also committed fraud to obtain vehicles and leases for property."

Those sentenced include:

• Hekuran Perhati, 33, of Victoria Crescent, Ashford (five years and seven months)
• Ndue Paluca, 29, of Maple Street, Sheerness (10 months)
• Klevis Prenga, 33, of no fixed address (four years)
• David Toal, 50, of Waterside in London Colney, Herts (four years)
• Dashmair Disha, 34, of no fixed address; (10 months)
• Yiber Perhati, Rainham, east London (five years)
• Fation Perhati, 29, of Mungo Park Road in Rainham, east London; (three years, six months)
• Doris Perhati, 24, of Week Street, Maidstone (Five years and three months)
• Brooklyn Selita, 19, of Falcon Way in Harrow, Greater London, who was also convicted of possessing cocaine with intent (five years)
• Kejvi Leba, 20, of Mill Lane, Watton-at-Stone (17 months)
• Adrian Toma, 23, of no fixed address (19 months)

Detective Constable Danny James, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: "These men were involved in a well organised and co-ordinated plot to produce and supply cannabis on a large scale, estimated to have yielded at least 100kg of the drug worth over £1 million in street value.

"The offending was meticulous and well planned, but the expertise of our team were able to unravel their pattern of offending, target them, convict them and seize their assets.

"Our work has doubtlessly caused a huge amount of disruption for a criminal network that is no longer able to operate in our county and others across the south east."

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