High Court sentencing in Glasgow
Three men have been sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison following the discovery of a £1.3m cannabis factory in Greenock, Inverclyde. Ariel Ruko, 24, Giap Ba Thai, 51, and Ervin Guri, 38, each received four-year sentences at the High Court in Glasgow after pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of a class B drug.
Discovery and raid
The operation was uncovered on 5 June 2025, after police officers patrolling the area detected a strong smell of cannabis. Local enquiries confirmed the scent had been present for several weeks. Upon raiding the former Tobacco Warehouse, officers found more than 1,000 plants and sophisticated hydroponic equipment. The court heard that individuals had been living on-site at the facility.
Judicial remarks
Lord Mulholland dismissed claims from the defendants that they were unaware of the nature of the operation, stating: "It is inconceivable with such an array of hydroponic equipment and the number of cannabis plants growing in the premises that you were ignorant of the crop you were farming."
He added that such crimes are becoming increasingly prevalent in Scotland and warned that cannabis farming will "inevitably attract a substantial sentence of imprisonment."
The case for reform
While this case highlights the ongoing enforcement focus on large-scale, illicit cultivation, critics of current UK drug policy argue that the absence of a legal, regulated market continues to drive the black market, leaving the industry in the hands of criminal networks. Proponents of reform suggest that a regulated system could redirect resources away from policing such facilities and toward public health, while simultaneously removing the incentive for criminal exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
Source: Yahoo News UK
