Four men involved in a major drugs and immigration case have received hefty prison sentences following an investigation by Thames Valley Police's Drugs and Serious Organised Crime Unit (DSOC).

Dritan Meta, 43, Ilir Kodra, 49, Refik Skepi, 45, and Visar Elezaj, 39, were all convicted of their roles in an elaborate Albanian Organised Crime Group (OCG) operation.

Meta, the head of the ring, earlier pleaded guilty to the charges of facilitating breaching of UK immigration law and production of cannabis at Reading Crown Court on April 15 and March 20 respectively.

Meta was sentenced to 11 years in prison on September 3 during the hearing in the Berkshire court.

Appearing alongside Meta, Skepi, from Thornton Road, Reading, pleaded guilty to cannabis production and was handed a six-year sentence.

Kodra, of Boundary Brook Road, Oxford, admitted to the same immigration offence on May 20 and got a four-year and seven-month sentence.

Elezaj, the last of the group, was found guilty of producing cannabis and consequently received a three-year and six-month sentence after a five-week trial

The operation against the Oxford-based Organised Crime Gang began in April 2022 and unveiled significant drug cultivation across the country.

A key aspect of the group's operations was the smuggling of migrants from Dunkirk in France to the UK using small inflatable boats.

It was found that both Meta and Kodra played instrumental roles in organising at least three migrant crossings on August 16, 2022.

This operation involved 49 individuals, including five children under the age of ten.

Detective Inspector Natalie Hall of the Drugs and Serious Organised Crime Unit provided some insights into the risky water-crossing.

She said: "It was only through good fortune that the people being illegally brought into the country in this case did not come to harm, thanks to the swift actions of the Coastguard.

“It was only through good fortune that the people being illegally brought into the country in this case did not come to harm, thanks to the swift actions of the Coastguard.

“This sentencing justly reflects the seriousness of organised immigration crime.”

 

The UK coastguard played a key role in rescuing these migrants when their boat began to sink in the Channel.

Further investigation into the drug cultivation shed light on the group's activities, revealing that Meta, Skepi and Elezaj controlled a large industrial unit in South Fambridge in Essex.

The unit, which had a warrant out, was discovered to be a large-scale cannabis factory with about 1,000 plants.

The harvest was estimated to have a street market value between £1.3m and £1.6m.

In total, 200kg of cannabis was located across two other addresses in Oxford, linked back to Meta and Elezaj.

Following their arrests, Meta and Kodra were charged on September 3, whereas Skepi and Elezaj were charged on September 12.

The sentences underscore the seriousness of organised immigration crime, and the Thames Valley Police reaffirmed its commitment to dismantling organised crime networks.

Echoing her team's relentless dedication, Detective Inspector Natalie Hall emphasised: "We will continue to target organised criminality, which puts individuals, families and communities at risk.

"I am pleased that this criminal gang will now spend years behind bars for their offending, and I hope that this goes a long way to reassuring our communities of our dedication to tackling serious organised crime."

Thames Valley Police have encouraged anyone with information about similar crimes to report it directly to police or to contact independent charity Crimespotters on 0800 555 111. This can be done in confidence and anonymously.