Couple jailed following cannabis and cash raid

A couple have been jailed after cannabis and more than £50,000 in cash were found at their Birmingham home, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Investigators searched Kristian Lleshi and Xhuljana Trimi's house and found two bin bags in the loft containing 7kg of cannabis in vacuum-packed bags and a further 2kg in a bag on the landing.

Numerous items of high-value were also seized, including gold jewellery, handbags and shoes.

Lleshi, 35, and Trimi, 29, both of Cornbrook Road in the city, were jailed for two years and seven months and 18 months respectively at Birmingham Crown Court.

They had both admitted possession with intent to supply a controlled Class B drug and acquire/use/possess criminal property.

A total of £51,450 in cash had been hidden in various locations around the home, the NCA said.

Under police interview, Lleshi gave no comment, the NCA said.

It added that Trimi said she was not aware of the drugs or cash, and that she had only known Lleshi for three months through a car wash in Banbury at which they had worked, and they were not in a relationship.

But her Facebook page showed the couple had been in a relationship since at least 2023, the NCA said.

The Albanian nationals were arrested at the house in September last year.

The agency added a second man in the house was found to be an immigration offender, and passed on to Immigration Enforcement.

The operation also led to a cannabis farm in Dudley being discovered, with plants worth £78,000 "removed and destroyed from the property".

Investigations continue regarding that seizure, the NCA stated.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.