A landlord has been found guilty of allowing seven of his properties to be used to grow cannabis.

Following a trial at Huntingdon Crown Court, Marc Anthony, 59, of Arundel Drive, Bedford, was convicted of conspiracy to produce cannabis. On his arrest, the landlord was caught with almost £54,000 in cash that he couldn’t account for which led to a further conviction of possession of criminal property.

Anthony owned two properties and was the private letting agent for a further three, which he rented out for the cultivation of cannabis.

Klevist Hoxhaj, 34, and Altin Gjoka, 52, working alongside Anthony, were renting the properties, which were located across Bedford and outside the county, and managing the everyday running of the cannabis factories including the people who worked in them. Hoxhaj was in control of two properties as the private letting agent.

Network

Bedfordshire Police’s investigation began in 2022, when officers uncovered a network of people involved in the running of seven related factories. More than 600 plants were seized from the properties along with cultivation paraphernalia.

Phone records demonstrated conversations between Anthony, Hoxhaj and Gjoka which highlighted their roles within the organised crime network. Anthony received financial gain from his role allowing the properties to be used for cannabis cultivation, with Hoxhaj and Gjoka acting as middlemen in the network.

Guilty

Hoxhaj, of Sudeley Walk, Bedford, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis, and Gjoka, of Queen Street, Bedford, was convicted of conspiracy to produce cannabis.

Investigation officer Summer Hill says the case is the force’s first conviction of its kind against a landlord for enabling large‑scale drug production. She adds: “Organised crime and drugs underpin much of the violence and exploitation we see, and we are committed to putting an end to this activity across Bedfordshire.”

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