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Four members of an organised crime group involved in the large-scale production and supply of cannabis have been jailed for more than 11 years.
The conviction comes after an investigation revealed that the Albanian police organised crime group made more than £500,000 between 2023 and 2025.
The group was led by two brothers, Sefedin and Eldi Tafa, who were at the head of the organization, which controlled the cultivation.
Alongside the Tafa brothers was Servet Dobrushi, who organized the sale of the produced cannabis.
At the next level were Asterjo Sata and Reols Havalja, who oversaw the cultivation and distributed the cannabis and profits throughout the country.
The group also used an insurance broker named Simon Jackson, whose responsibility was to create fake car insurance policies, which then made the group's vehicles appear legitimate and allowed illegal activities to be carried out discreetly.
A number of people whose role was at the lowest levels, which included cultivating plants as 'gardeners', were identified and have already been dealt with through the courts.
The operation began with an investigation when police discovered cannabis in Aragon Close, Southend, in the early hours of August 30, 2023.
Inside the property were cannabis plants, a vacuum-sealed bag of cannabis, a bag of ground cannabis, £5,000 in cash and a wallet containing a driving licence in the name of Eldi Tafa.
A notebook with handwritten pictures and names was also found, including the names 'Alberti', 'Sefi' and 'Olsi'. The group referred to Havalji as 'Olsi'.
Fingerprints belonging to Havalji were found on the screen of a phone found in the drawer of bedroom number one at the same address, as well as on the side of a money changer in the same room.
Sefedin Tafa was arrested in early 2024 in Westcliff. The Audi he was travelling in was searched and Tafa was found to be carrying £1,466 in cash, and his mobile phone contained a video message sent to him of him walking around a cannabis farm.
When a search was carried out at this house, almost 50g of cannabis plants and £27,720 in cash were found. All of which were seized.
Other members of the group were arrested in Caerphilly, Wales, and 10kg of cannabis, worth up to £52,000, was seized.
Asterjo Sata was arrested in June 2024 while driving a vehicle from Brighton to Southend. When the vehicle was searched, officers found a bag containing £34,320 in cash, a handgun and two phones.
As part of the investigation, a warrant was also executed at Rochford Avenue, Westcliff. During a search of that property, we found a sophisticated cannabis cultivation over three floors, worth approximately £35,550.
In October 2024, insurance broker Simon Jackson was arrested in Brentwood.
A subsequent search of his home revealed many expensive items such as clothes, sneakers and champagne. More than £3,000 in cash was seized from his home, along with notebooks containing hundreds of email addresses and handwritten numbers.
It was proven that he had generated £360,000 in criminal profits with fraudulent insurance policies.
Eldi Tafa remains unaccounted for and is hiding outside the United Kingdom. Work to find him and bring him to justice is ongoing, according to official announcements from British authorities.
The documentation showed that a further 80kg of cannabis was sold generating wholesale profits of more than £500,000.
The group was charged by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and was expected to stand trial in December, but each member chose to plead guilty to the offences and were sentenced today, Friday, February 13 at Basildon Crown Court.
Sefedin Tafa, 33, of Cardigan Avenue, Westcliff, admitted conspiracy to cultivate cannabis and conspiracy to supply cannabis. He was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
Asterjo Sata, 22, of Cardigan Avenue, Westcliff, admitted conspiracy to cultivate cannabis, conspiracy to supply cannabis and possession or use of criminal property. He was sentenced to 32 months in prison.
Reols Havalja, 28, of Silverdale Avenue, Westcliff, admitted conspiracy to cultivate cannabis, conspiracy to supply cannabis and purchasing or using criminal property. He was jailed for 23 months and faces deportation proceedings upon his release.
Servet Dobrushi, 34, of St Chads Road, Blacon, Chester, admitted conspiracy to cultivate cannabis, conspiracy to supply cannabis and purchasing or using criminal property. He was sentenced to 27 months in prison.
Simon Jackson, 40, of Cricketers Lane, Herongate, Brentwood, admitted fraud by false representation. He will be sentenced at a date to be set later.
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