28 men jailed after police bust £2m cannabis operation

In total, 30 defendants, mostly Lithuanian nationals, faced the courts charged for their involvement in the conspiracy which saw the group set up 70 cannabis farms in houses across Nelson, Accrington and Brierfield, many in terraced homes with neighbours unaware of what was going on next door.

Dubbed Operation Rockwell, officers found 2,500 cannabis plants and 100kg of dried cannabis, with an estimated street value of £2 million.

During the course of the 11-month sting, police also recovered hundreds of thousands of pounds in cash, as well as weapons including imitation firearms, CS gas canisters and a taser.

The ringleaders of the conspiracy were Andrius Zuraitis, Shuaib Ashraf Dar and Abdul Wahid.

One of the cannabis farms found by police during Operation Rockwell (Image: Lancashire Police)

Properties were converted into ‘professional’ growing sites, with the group installing steel doors, Perspex windows and CCTV cameras to protect the illegal activity going on inside from detection or rival drugs gangs.

They also hired self-storage units to store equipment and cannabis and hired skips so they could dismantle the farms when they had collected the yield.

Judge Richard Gioserano sat in on the trials for the operation and handed down the sentences on all defendants.

Speaking to the court, he said: “This was clearly a wide spread conspiracy involving many people.

“It was a multi-million-pound enterprise involving dozens and dozens of cannabis farms.

READ MORE: How police brought down £2m of cannabis farms set up in East Lancashire homes

“Those involved clearly had no regard for those in law abiding neighbourhoods who lived nearby, with farms hidden in plain sight.

“The farms were so well planned and so well executed, it went unnoticed by the police for quite some time, and unnoticed by other members of the community in which these plants were placed.

“Every conspirator knowing, he takes part in something big keeps it going by his own involvement.”

Dried cannabis found in one of the properties raided during Operation Rockwell (Image: Lancashire Police)

DS Stu Peall, from Lancashire Police, said: “These defendants were part of a sophisticated organised criminal group which invested significant amounts of time and money into evading the police.

“It was only through good, committed police work that we managed to unravel this complex network of criminality.

“This OCG sought to exploit some of the most vulnerable members of society for their own greed and I am pleased its members have been brought to justice.”

The defendants were sentenced to the following:

• Andrius Zukaitis, 32, Walter Street, Brierfield. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for eight years and six months.
• Abdul Wahid, 44, Charles Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for six years.
• Shuaib Dar, 30, Hilldrop Road, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for four years and nine months.
• Lailolas Mulikas, Albion Street, Brierfield. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for three years and six months.
• Atif Mushtaq, 35, Regent Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Three years and six months.
• Robertas Blazonis, 32, Pine Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis and possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid / gas / electrical incapacitation device / thing. Jailed for three years.
• Justinas Zile, 22, Athol Street North, Burnley. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for three years.
• Tadas Zdanavicius, 31, Eagle Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years and six months.
• Eimantas Grickevicius, 24, Berriedale Road, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis and possess / control identity documents with intent. Jailed for two years and six months.
• Gabrielius Uigianskas, 19, Pine Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis and possessing a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid / gas / electrical incapacitation device / thing. Jailed for two years and six months.
• Lukas Sakalauskas, 26, Berriedale Road, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years and six months.
• Aidas Radzys, 42, no fixed abode (NFA). Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis, possess CS gas, Possess Taser. Jailed for two years and six months
• Zilvinas Sudmonas, 25, Bank Lane, Salford. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years and five months.
• Roman Lastowski, 22, Berkeley Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years and five months.
• Tomas Ramanauskas, 21, Belfield Road, Accrington. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years and four months.
• Thomas Borodkinas, 20, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years and four months.
• Rokas Rudokas, 37, Walton Lane. Nelson. Possession of CS gas and money laundering. Jailed for two years and three months. £384,120.19 cash seized.
• Ernestas Dapkus, 33, Scotland Road, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years.
• Modestas Laurikenas, 21, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for two years.
• Deividas Vaitkus, 25, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis, possession of CS gas. Jailed for 21 months.
• Simonas Repecka, 24, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for 21 months.
• Zanas Dakanas, 27, North Street, Colne. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for 12 months.
• Robertas Burdis NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for 12 months.
• Klaidus Zakarauskas, 40, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for 12 months.
• Kastytis Zamauskas, 33, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for 12 months.
• Rastauskas Paulis, 24, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for 12 months.
• Aleksandras Gedvila, 33, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for nine months.
• Rimantas Stundze, 44, Rhoda Street, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Jailed for eight months.
• Aleandro Korbi, 21, NFA. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. Received a two-year community order.
• Daugardas Buta, 25, Scotland Road, Nelson. Conspiracy to produce and supply cannabis. He will be sentenced later this year.