Officers stormed cannabis farms across Accrington, Nelson and Brierfield as they brought down a £2million drugs gang which has seen more than two dozen men locked up.
In total, 28 people have been jailed, with one more awaiting sentence and one given a community order, for their involvement in the conspiracy.
Lancashire Constabulary has now revealed how it shut down the organised criminal group and it's empire of drugs factories in homes across the region, with local tip-offs, noticing similar types of doors and windows, and paperwork left at the houses undoing the complex web of criminality and the scale of the gang's activity.
Police executed warrants at addresses in Pendle in December 2020, following intelligence gathered after officers stopped a Volkswagen Golf that November.
On September 13, 2021, a warrant was executed at a property in Fir Street, Nelson, and sat in the lounge was Claidus Zakarauskas.
Also found in the property, which was also linked to Robertas Balzonis, were 106 cannabis plants, mobile phones and paperwork linked to an address in Wickliffe Street, Nelson.
When police searched that address, they found Deividas Waitkus and recovered 83 cannabis plants, 15kg of dry cannabis, a fake ID card, mobile phones and CS spray.
A further warrant was executed in Rhoda Street, Nelson, where 56 cannabis plants, cash and mobile phones were found as well as Rastauskas Paulius and Rimantas Stundze, who were arrested.
Documentation inside linked to a property in Burlington Street, Nelson, where Simonas Repecka was arrested and cannabis plants, mobile phones and cash were all recovered.
Paperwork found there about skip hire led officers to search an address in Rook Street, Nelson, where they found equipment used to grow cannabis.
When officers were leaving they noticed that another house on the street had exactly the same brand of door they had seen at other cannabis farms, as well as the windows and blinds.
READ MORE: Gang jailed after £2m cannabis operation across 70 terraced houses busted
When they entered the property they found 60 cannabis plants, as well as paperwork linked to Tomas Ramanauskas and for two properties in Perth Street.
When those properties were searched officers found nearly 200 cannabis plants.
Following further intelligence, police raided a house on Dalton Street, Nelson. When officers went to the back door, Aleandro Korbi tried to flee.
Korbi was arrested and 62 cannabis plants and 10kg drying out in preparation for being sold were seized.
Later the same evening, officers attended a property in Cambridge Street, Brierfield, which had the same door as other cannabis farms. Inside, 86 cannabis plants were found.
Following enquiries into the skips that were hired, a property on Pine Street, Nelson, was searched and 84 cannabis plants were found, as well as 14kg of bagged up cannabis.
Another property in Pine Street had the same door, blinds and windows as previous cannabis grows. Inside officers found an imitation firearm and cash.
On September 20, 2021, officers searched two addresses in Smith Street, Nelson, where they arrested Thomas Borodkinas and Modestas Laurikenas and found more than 150 cannabis plants.
Officers later searched an address in Carleton Street, Nelson, and found another cannabis farm.
The same doors were also noted at two properties in Rutland Street and when searched, officers found and seized more cannabis.
Ramanauskas was arrested later the same day after evidence was recovered that he had been paying bills for addresses being used by the group.
Further enquiries led police to a property in Pine Street, Nelson, controlled by Atif Mushtaq. Inside 108 cannabis plants were found.
On September 22, 2021, Buta was arrested on Scotland Road, Nelson, after he was linked to a previous cannabis seizure.
Evidence then led officers to search a further property on Scotland Road, which led them to an address in Eagle Street, Nelson.
There they found and arrested Giedrus Snederis and Tadas Zdanavicius who were in the process of setting up a cannabis farm.
Documents then led police to an address in Napier Street, Nelson, where 63 cannabis plants were seized.
Another property in Napier Street was searched which had the same front door and cameras seen at other addresses and 109 cannabis plants were seized.
The tenant in that property had been placed in there by Atif Mushtaq.
An examination of Zdanavicius’s phone led to searches of houses in Walton Lane and Castle Street, with cannabis farms being found in each property.
Officers also searched a rented storage unit in Zdanavicius’s name and found items linked to the growing of cannabis, as well as packaging for the doors that had been found at some of the cannabis factories.
Investigations found Abdul Wahid ordered 52 doors from the same company, despite having no obvious form of income.
Shuaib Dar, who was the landlord of properties in Perth Street, Pritchard Street and Berriedale Road, had also ordered three of the same doors, with telephone evidence linking him with members of the group.
On September 27, 2021, officers raided a property in Elizabeth Street, Accrington, and found 130 cannabis plants.
Further mobile phone evidence led officers to two properties in Henry Street, Nelson, where cannabis plants and crops were found.
Later that evening another 140 cannabis plants were found at an address in Pritchard Street, Burnley.
Andrius Zukaitis was arrested at his Brierfield home on September 29, 2021, and phones, cash and a large amount of cannabis were recovered.
Captured the same day paying bills for the address in Henry Street, Nelson, was Lailolas Murlikas.
When officers went to his home on Albion Street, Brierfield, they found phones, £5,000 in cash and equipment used for producing cannabis.
Officers then searched properties linked to Lailolas Mulikas in Pheasantford Street, Burnley, and Crawford Street, Nelson.
In Pheasantford Street, 78 cannabis plants were found and in Crawford Street, Aleksandras Gedvila was arrested while bagging up a large amount of cannabis.
Evidence obtained in late September 2021, showed Egle Zilinskiene paying bills for the property in Carleton Street. Her mobile phone contained photographs of other members of the OCG.
A warrant was executed and £3,000 cash, mobile phones and documentation for properties in which was being used by the group was found.
It transpired Mushtaq had been responsible for arranging the letting of further houses, including properties in Percy Street, Princess Street, Whitehall Street, Manchester Road and West Street – all Nelson. Hundreds of cannabis plants were found.
Search warrants were also granted for properties in Exchange Street, Accrington, and Hawarden Street, Nelson.
Ernestas Dapkus and Remigijus Dovidaisis, were found there as well as bagged up cannabis.
Enquiries at a property in Hawarden Street, Nelson, revealed another cannabis farm.
On October 6, 2021, an address on Belgrave Street, Nelson, was searched and another cannabis farm located.
Five days later Justinas Zile was arrested at his home in Athol Street North, Burnley.
Phone evidence linked him to the group as well as evidence of him paying bills for the property in Perth Street, Nelson.
Officers raided a property in Rook Street, Nelson, where the Kastytis Zamauskas was found, along with a cannabis farm.
Defendant Rokas Rudokas, who is the owner of a hydroponics company in Great Harwood, was arrested at his home in Nelson, where officers seized £50,000 in cash stuffed into plastic bags, three cannisters of CS gas and burner phones.
At his hydroponics unit, items associated with cannabis growing and £17,000 were found, and Aidas Radzys arrived while police were there and was arrested.
A search of his house saw a number of cannisters of CS gas and an imitation firearm. A cannister of CS gas was also found inside his vehicle.
Another cannabis farm was found inside a property linked to Radzys in Chapelhouse Road, Nelson.
The men involved have been jailed for more than 70 years in total.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel