THREE men have been jailed after they were found to have almost £300,000 in drugs and cash following an attack by armed masked men.
After speaking to a battered and bruised Glen Xhaferri, 26, Redjon Murati, 28, and Anis Plauku, 29, in A&E, police found their abandoned car which possessed thousands of pounds.
A further search of their Bradford bungalow led to the discovery of drugs worth over £150,000 and anti-spy equipment.
Well-educated Xhaferri and ex-soldier Plauku were sentenced to three years in prison while Murati was sent down for just over two years at Bradford Crown Court on Thursday.
The trio rushed to the A&E department at the Bradford Royal Infirmary on February 27 following the attack at their property.
Plauku suffered a fractured skull, Xhaferri had cuts to the head and nose, and Murati sustained a deep wound to his wrist.
Upon hearing what happened, police found an abandoned Audi A5 near the hospital belonging to the men which contained £84,000 in a black bag on the back seats.
The three defendants were then arrested and officers went to go search a three-bedroom bungalow they were living in on Highgate Road in Queensbury.
Sixteen 1kg bags of cannabis - which had a wholesale value of £71,250 and a street value of £151,710 - were recovered from the property.
In one bedroom, believed to be that of Xhaferri's due to the bank cards and medication in his name, nearly £35,000 was found in cash in a wardrobe.
Other items recovered include an anti-spy detector, €1,000, mobile phones and £240.
When interviewed after arrest, Zhaferri denied knowing anything about the cash and did not comment on the cannabis.
Murati said the same and added that he slept in the living room and the other two used the bedrooms.
In Xhaferri's defence, the court was told how he is an Albanian man of "good character" who gained the equivalent of an engineering degree in Albania.He came to the UK looking for work but struggled due to his immigration status.
The attack was a "rude awakening" for him and the others.
After pleading guilty, he is now apologetic and understands the seriousness of what happened.
Defending counsel for Murati, Khadim Al'Hassan, explained how his client had only arrived at the address on the day of arrest after being recently released from detainment in Scotland.
He came to the country after being exploited and trafficked following an "impoverish background".
The attack, which has left him with long-term injuries, occurred after he got out of the shower.
His ability to work, as a painter and decorator, has been significantly impaired after losing great use of his dominant hand.
Murati is said to be "extremely remorseful" and has had a difficult time, six months, in custody with his language limited and prisoners cell-bound for most of the day due to Covid restrictions.
Plauku was a talented Albanian soldier for five years and spent time in Afghanistan. Following his service, he gained a travel visa to the UK.
He worked a few jobs at a car wash and in construction before falling into a life of crime.
His defence counsel said he is keen to return to his homeland with his Mexican partner.
Recorder Judy Dawson believed the men were trusted members high up the chain.
She failed to accept that they did not play a leading role, just because they were on the end of violence.
Murati was not in possession of the cash so was in a different position, but still chose to return to the address from Scotland, recorder Dawson added.
Both Xhaferri and Plauku were sentenced to three years for possessing cannabis to supply.
This will run concurrently with a one-year sentence for the second crime, possessing criminal property in the form of money.
Murati received a sentence of 27 months for his role in the cannabis offence.
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