Man’s phone photos expose £150k cannabis factory operation

A man caught with van loads of cannabis growing gear led police to two major drug factories containing hundreds of plants worth up to £150,000.

Elian Thana’s criminal operation unravelled when officers stopped an overloaded Volkswagen van on the M4 near Swansea last December. The 29-year-old was riding as a passenger when police discovered the vehicle packed with incriminating equipment – soil, lighting systems, fertiliser, plant food, power cables, weed matting, and irrigation supplies.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Thana tried to claim he was simply delivering items to a Swansea address, but couldn’t actually provide the location when challenged by officers. His story quickly fell apart.

The real breakthrough came when investigators examined two mobile phones belonging to the Bristol man. They uncovered photographs and videos showing Thana himself at cannabis growing operations – damning evidence that linked him to illegal factories in both Wales and the Midlands.

Police raided a property on Lady Street in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, where they discovered an extensive operation spanning nine rooms. Officers seized 201 cannabis plants with a potential yield of between 6kg and 17kg. Prosecutor Caitlyn Jones told the court the street value ranged from £24,000 to £88,400.

A second factory in Birmingham contained 147 plants spread across three rooms. This operation could produce between 4kg and 12kg of cannabis, worth anywhere from £16,000 to £62,400 on the streets.

During police interviews, Thana’s explanations kept changing. He initially claimed his family in Albania owed a £10,000 debt for medical bills, then contradicted himself by saying he didn’t owe any money at all.

Defence barrister Matthew Murphy revealed his client had arrived in the UK on a rubber raft and applied unsuccessfully for asylum. The court heard Thana became involved in organised crime after racking up debts for his illegal entry into Britain.

This wasn’t Thana’s first brush with cannabis production laws – he already had a previous conviction which resulted in eight months behind bars.

Judge Paul Hobson handed Thana, of Redford Crescent in Bristol, a three-year prison sentence after he pleaded guilty to cannabis production. The Home Office will now decide whether to deport him once he’s served his time.