Cumbria linked to major cocaine network as five men jailed after police uncover drug lab
Five men have been jailed after police uncovered a makeshift cocaine lab. With links to a major drugs operation that supplied buyers in Cumbria and other parts of England.
The organised crime group was based around Bournemouth and Southampton. But investigators said its network reached much further, with deals arranged across London, the south of England and Cumbria. The men were sentenced at Winchester Crown Court after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Police said the gang handled commercial volumes of cocaine. Using stash houses and hidden compartments in vehicles to move drugs. More than 27 kilos of cocaine were seized during the investigation, along with almost £170,000 in cash.
Five men jailed over large-scale cocaine operation
The five men all pleaded guilty and were given lengthy prison sentences.
They were sentenced as follows:
- 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
Police said Gjoci, 31, and Titini, 32, led the organised crime group and arranged deals with buyers across several parts of the country, including Cumbria.
Ties to Cumbria
Although the drug preparation sites were in southern England, the case matters in Cumbria because police said the gang was supplying cocaine to buyers in the county.
Investigators have made clear that Cumbria was part of the wider network being targeted.
For local readers, that is the key point. A large-scale cocaine operation based hundreds of miles away was still reaching into Cumbria through its supply chain.
How the gang operated
Investigators said the group used a number of stash houses in Bournemouth and Southampton.
The cocaine was stored, prepared and moved on for distribution using a system that police described as organised and sophisticated. One gang member, Korab Skepi, was said to prepare imported cocaine for onward supply. While others used vehicles with hidden compartments to transport it.
Police said Skepi also kept careful hand-written records in a ledger, documenting drug movements, dates and quantities. Detectives said this helped them build the case that eventually brought the operation down.
Raid on home gave police key evidence
A major turning point in the investigation came when police raided Skepi’s home in Bellevue Road, Southampton, in January 2025.
Detectives said he was trusted to store large amounts of cocaine and cash there. They also said he kept detailed written records and took photographs of large sums of money on his mobile phone.
That evidence became central to the investigation, known as Operation Dare.
Police said Skepi’s arrest then triggered movement within the group, with other members trying to shift their operation before officers could close in.
Gang moved drug lab after arrest
After Skepi was arrested, police said his accomplices went to a DIY store in Bournemouth for moving supplies and hired a van to clear out a house in St James Road.
Investigators said that property had been used as a drug preparation lab.
The operation was then moved to a rented house in Pauntley Road, Bournemouth, but police were already tracking what was happening.
When officers raided that address in March 2025, they arrested Gjoci and Dejvin Rina. Police said Gjoci’s hands were covered in white powder at the time.
Inside the house, officers found:
- more than 16 kilos of cocaine
- drug mixing substances
- a hydraulic press
Those finds made clear the scale of the operation and the amount of cocaine being prepared for sale.
More drugs, cash and hidden compartments found
Police later searched four more addresses in Bournemouth.
At those properties, officers seized more cocaine, cash, phones, notebooks and other drug-related items. A Citroen linked to the case was also found to have a hidden compartment underneath the rear seats.
In total, more than 27 kilos of cocaine were recovered during the investigation. Police said the drugs had an estimated wholesale value of £500,000.
Nearly £170,000 in cash was also seized, including more than £24,000 found at Skepi’s home.
Cumbria Police helped in investigation
The investigation was led by the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, but several other forces were involved.
Support came from:
- Cumbria Police
- Dorset Police
- Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary
- Metropolitan Police
That local involvement underlines the Cumbria connection. Police in the county were not just watching from the sidelines. They were involved in tackling a network that investigators say was supplying cocaine into the area.
Police say case shows scale of organised drug crime
Detectives said the gang was handling large amounts of cash and preparing vast quantities of cocaine for a network of buyers.
Prosecutors described it as a sophisticated criminal enterprise and said the strength of the evidence led all five men to plead guilty.
The case is also a reminder that drug networks affecting Cumbria are not always based in the county itself. Some operate across regions, using links between towns and cities to move drugs over long distances.
What this means for Cumbria
For Cumbria, the case is a serious reminder of how organised drug crime can reach into local communities even when the people running it are based elsewhere.
The lab was in Bournemouth. The stash houses were in Bournemouth and Southampton. But the supply line stretched as far as Cumbria.
That is what makes this story significant locally. It shows how cocaine networks can operate across the country, with counties like Cumbria still affected by criminal groups based far beyond the area.
