An Albanian drugs gang turned a disused swimming pool into a massive cannabis farm with two members already serving sentences and a third warned he’s facing jail and deportation.

Xhafer Furriku has been remanded in custody and faces deportation after he admitted tending to a £200,000 cannabis crop in Angus.

The 65-year-old who was trafficked to the UK to be the ‘gardener’ at Forfar Swimming Pool, admitted cultivating cannabis in the disused leisure pool facility on 8 August, 2023.

Sheriff Tim Niven-Smith said: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, I consider this to be a large-scale commercial cultivation site. Sentence has to act not only as punishment, but to deter others.

Police discovered 250 cannabis plants worth £187,500 within the disused Forfar Swimming Pool building

‘I accept that your role is to be characterised most likely as that of a gardener. Nevertheless, having regard to the substantial commercial nature of the enterprise, a custodial sentence is inevitable.

‘I would consider bail to be inappropriate at this stage. I consider you to be a flight risk, and in any event, I am being invited to consider your deportation.’

Fiscal depute Sarah Wilkinson told Dundee Sheriff Court: ‘This is a disused swimming pool, sitting empty for a number of years. The property is boarded up to prevent members of the public accessing it.

The building had been sold by Angus Council just five months before the cannabis farm was discovered

‘Intelligence was received by police about its suspected purpose for a cannabis cultivation and a drugs search warrant was granted.

‘Prior to entry the power was cut to make the area safe. An angle grinder was used to force entry by cutting two handles off the disabled access door.

‘Officers made their way to the basement area of the building where they discovered a significant cannabis cultivation. It was within the disused swimming pool and changing area.

‘They traced the accused and two others were apprehended as they attempted to flee from the area. It was established the accused could not speak any English.’

When officers were eventually able to quiz Furriku about being in Scotland and monitoring the drug farm, he said: ‘I came here to clean and paint.’

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