A pair of drug cultivators have been locked up after officers uncovered more than 1,500 cannabis plants growing inside what was once a popular town centre venue.
Police raided the former Taffy’s bar on Bethesda Street in Merthyr during November 2025 following tip-offs about suspicious activity at the abandoned premises. The neighbourhood policing team had been gathering intelligence after locals reported unusual goings-on around the derelict building.
When specialist resources stormed the property, they discovered several large rooms throughout the entire venue had been transformed into a sophisticated cannabis cultivation operation.
The search took a dramatic turn when officers found two men hiding upstairs amongst the plants – Guri Bajrami, 29, and Kledi Hysa, 31, both of no fixed abode, who desperately attempted to flee into the attic via a ladder as police closed in.
Both men appeared before Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on December 16, where they pleaded guilty to production of cannabis. Yesterday, (February 6), they each received prison sentences of one year and six months.
Sergeant Carla Morris-Griffiths said: “This scale of criminality could have had a significant impact on the local community and often exploits young or vulnerable people to take the risk, while others receive the benefits. This outcome was the result of some great partnership working between the Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT), intelligence from the local community, and support from local authority partners.”
