On Friday, eight people were sentenced to prison for their involvement in a criminal organisation that was involved in stealing electricity to support “cannabis houses” in the UK. The criminal activity of these individuals caused millions of pounds in damage to the state.
The electricians, who were hired by a group of Albanian criminals, were responsible for illegally connecting and stealing electricity, which was used to power illegal cannabis farms, known as “cannabis houses.” These farms were located in 32 areas across the United Kingdom, from November 2020 to February 2024.
The company whose directors, Ross McGinn, led the operation, offered its services to Albanian criminal organisations. The company was registered at Companies House and two of the electricians had LinkedIn profiles where they posted photos of seemingly legitimate work, promoting the operation.
Their work was crucial to the establishment of the cannabis “plantations,” which were located in former hotels, shops, clubs and other spaces. As the judge noted, many people would think it was a normal business, but in reality the electricians had no permits and no legal reason to be there. Their purpose was to steal electricity.
The police operation “Operation Spark”, which was investigating the company, seized cannabis plantations worth up to 21 million pounds, from over 100 illegal farms, most of which had been occupied by Albanian citizens.
Images found by investigators show explosions from electrical faults as the gang attempted to lay cables and connect to existing electrical infrastructure. A photo found on a mobile phone showed one of the electricians with burns to the face, possibly from an accident while carrying out his illegal work.
