A DRUG supply ring with bases in Coventry produced and sold millions of pounds worth of cannabis across the UK.
Seven men have been given prison sentences totalling almost 40 years for their involvement in the group, which converted properties in the city and elsewhere in the UK to grow cannabis – illegally bypassing electricity to do so.
In May 2022, officers from West Midlands Police and the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (WM ROCU) started an investigation into the group.
Seven men, arrested and charged as part of the investigation, all pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply and produce cannabis.
Among them were the leaders of the group – Erikson Kararaj, 34, of Perry Wood Road, Birmingham, who was jailed for eight years, and Arben Sinjari, 48, of Esher Road, Birmingham, who was jailed for seven years.
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 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 Coventry and Birmingham, 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.
Officers also recovered tens of thousands of pounds in cash, several kilograms of cannabis, and equipment for the cultivation of drugs.
Det Sgt 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.”
