Drugs gang jailed after makeshift lab uncovered
Five members of an organised crime group, who used a "makeshift lab" in Bournemouth to supply "commercial volumes" of cocaine across England, have been jailed.
Three men from Bournemouth and two from Southampton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs after a "protracted and complex investigation" by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU).
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) described the gang's activities as "a sophisticated plot to flood our streets with cocaine".
They each received sentences ranging between eight years and eight months and 14 years.
More than 27 kilos of cocaine were seized from numerous stash houses in Bournemouth and Southampton, with an estimated wholesale value of£500,000, as well as nearly £170,000 in cash.
SWROCUThe sentences at Winchester Crown Court were:
- Xhetan Gjoci: 14 years
- Arlend Titini: 14 years
- Vladimir Rina: 11 years and eight months
- Korab Skepi: 11 years and eight months
- Dejvin Rina: Eight years and eight months
Investigators said Gjoci, 31, and Titini, 32, led the organised crime group, facilitating the deals with buyers across London, the south of England and Cumbria.
Skepi prepared the "imported" cocaine for onwards distribution by Vladimir Rina, 37, and Dejvin Rina, 21, who used "sophisticated" methods to hide the drugs in their vehicles.
Skepi, 24, kept meticulous records in a hand-written ledger and it was a raid on his home in Bellevue Road, Southampton, in January 2025, which gave investigators the evidence they needed to build a "robust case" to end the gang's operation.
SWROCUSkepi was "trusted to store large quantities of cocaine and cash" at his home, according to detectives.
He would also "pay himself" from the money he collected.
His meticulous record keeping, including documenting the "vast amounts" of cash he handled by taking photographs of it on his mobile phone, would be pivotal to the investigation named Operation Dare.
Skepi's arrest prompted his accomplices to head to a Bournemouth DIY store for moving supplies and hire a van to clear a house in St James Road, which they had been using as a "drug preparation lab".
They moved the operation to a rental house in Pauntley Road, Bournemouth, which officers then raided in March 2025.
There, Gjoci, whose hands were covered in white powder, and Dejvin Rina were arrested.
More than 16 kilos of cocaine, drug mixing substances and a hydraulic press were found inside the house.
SWROCUSubsequent searches of four other addresses in Bournemouth resulted in more seizures of cocaine, cash, phones, notebooks and other drug paraphernalia.
A Citroen car found by police was also found to have a hidden compartment underneath the rear seats.
Det Con Danielle Hill of SWROCU said: "This OCG were handling substantial volumes of cash and preparing vast amounts of cocaine worth hundreds of thousands of pounds and delivering it to a network of buyers.
"We remain committed to targeting criminals involved in serious and organised crime."
Prosecutor James Foster from the CPS said it was the "compelling evidence of a large-scale operation" that led to "guilty pleas from all".
"Their attempts to disguise their activities did not prevent them from being caught, and the substantial prison sentences passed today reflect the seriousness of this offending and the scale of the criminal enterprise involved."
SWROCU's investigation was supported by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, the Metropolitan Police, Cumbria Police and Dorset Police.
The Dorset force's director of intelligence, Det Supt Emma Sweetzer, thanked all those involved for their work "in taking these illegal and dangerous substances off the streets and protecting Dorset's communities from the harm they can cause."
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