Cannabis gang members jailed for murdering London rival

Two men have been jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years for the murder of a rival killed during a gang fight over a £95,000 cannabis crop.

Aranit Lleshi, 32, of Culvert Road, Tottenham, London was stabbed on 24 May and died at the scene in Bristol.

Radian Lika, 36, and Brikel Palaj, 33, were convicted of murder after a seven-week trial at Bristol Crown Court.

Nikola Palaj, 29, was convicted of the manslaughter of Mr Lleshi, and has been sentenced to five years in prison.

In addition, 35-year-old Kastriot Mhillaj, of no fixed address, admitted a charge of violent disorder prior to the trial starting.

Mhillaj was sentenced earlier to 18 weeks imprisonment but was immediately released as he has already been held on remand for almost a year.

Radian Lika (l) and Brikel Palaj have been convicted of the murder of rival gang member Aranit Lleshi

During the trial, the court heard that cannabis was being grown in a rented house close to the scene of the fight in Bloomfield Road, Brislington.

Mr Lleshi and his brother Sadik Lleshi, both of Culvert Road, Tottenham, were preparing to harvest the cannabis when they were attacked by their rivals.

The second London-based gang had been hoping to steal the crop in their absence. Instead, both gangs found themselves in Bloomfield Road at the same time.

After scoping out the property, Lika and Brikel Palaj drove to a nearby Sainsbury's and bought four kitchen knives before returning, the court heard.

Nikola Palaj, 28, was jailed for five years for manslaughter

The jury convicted Lika, of Islington, London of murder by a 10-2 majority in March, while Brikel Palaj, of Plumstead, London, was convicted of murder on a majority of 11-1.

Nikola Palaj, 28, also of Plumstead was cleared of murder but was convicted by the jury of manslaughter, also on a 10-2 majority.

On 16 March another alleged member of the gang Rinush Behari 33, of Woolwich, London was acquitted of murder and violent disorder.

The victim's brother Sadik Lleshi was acquitted of any involvement in the violent disorder that led to his sibling's death.

A charge of murder, brought against him because of his alleged willing involvement in the fight, was dropped during the trial.

Aranit Lleshi died at the scene

Mr Lleshi's family said his murder had caused them to "die inside".

In a tribute, they said they were "distraught" and had lost a "huge part of their lives".

Witnesses described a scene of "extreme violence", with one person stabbed in the back to the knife hilt, another hit around the head with a metal bar and one armed with a screwdriver.

Following the hearing, senior investigating officer Det Ch Insp Phil Walker said: "It's tragic a young man lost his life during this clash between two organised crime groups over a cannabis factory.

"Both groups were from the London area and targeted a quiet south Bristol neighbourhood to engage in wanton violence with weapons, witnessed by those who live there as well as passers-by."

Radian Lika, 35, and Brikel Palaj, 33 were seen on CCTV buying knives

Mr Walker continued: "There's often organised criminality behind the production of cannabis and we know these groups are using residential houses in a street like this in the hope they can ply their exploitative trade under the radar.

"It's crucial for members of the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicions around drug activity in their neighbourhood to the police.

"We'd like to express our continuing sympathies to the family of the victim, who've been left devastated by his death, and want to reiterate our thanks to all the witnesses who provided statements and evidence in this case - their assistance has ultimately helped us bring these dangerous men to justice."

Stella Waata, senior crown prosecutor for the CPS South West Complex Casework Unit, said: "While incidents like this are rare, it shows the risk posed by organised crime groups and why we and our police partners are determined to work together to dismantle them.

"They bring untold misery to our communities, and we will robustly prosecute cases, particularly those involving weapons."