Albanian gang murdered man to protect ‘valuable hoard’ of cannabis, trial told

Five men have gone on trial at Newport Crown Court for the killing of Tomasz Waga.

Tomasz Waga has been described as a “much-loved father, partner to his girlfriend, son and brother” (Family handout/South Wales Police/PA) (PA Media)

Members of an Albanian drug gang beat a man to death using weapons including a baseball bat, brick and bamboo stick after he tried to steal from their cannabis factory, a court has been told.

The body of 23-year-old Tomasz Waga, from Dagenham in east London, was found dumped on Westville Road in the Penylan area of Cardiff on the night of January 28 last year.

He and three other men are said to have travelled from London to burgle the gang’s cannabis production house on Newport Road in the north-east of the city.

However, after being alerted to the break-in, gang members descended on the property to “protect their valuable hoard of cannabis” and to teach the thieves a lesson, a trial at Newport Crown Court heard on Wednesday.

At the address the armed group are alleged to have carried out a “brutal assault” on Mr Waga and his associate Carl Davies, leaving Mr Waga “close to death”.

Mr Waga is then believed to have been bundled into a silver Mercedes in which the prosecution claim he was interrogated for information and robbed of his money and phone before being pushed out of the car and left for dead.

Gledis Mehalla, Mihal Dhana, Mario Qato, Josif Nushi and Hysland Aliaj deny murdering Mr Waga.

Nushi, Dhana and Aliaj also deny the wounding with intent and unlawful wounding of Carl Davies.

Dhana denies conspiracy to produce a controlled drug of class B and Qato denies participating in the activities of an organised crime group.

Prosecutor Greg Bull KC told jurors: “The Crown submit that in 2020 an organised criminal gang of Albanian nationals established a commercial cannabis growing factory in a residential area of Cardiff.

“Whatever your views are on whether or not cannabis should be legal, that should not form part of your consideration.

It was so successful and profitable that members of the gang were prepared to protect it, if necessary, at all costs

Greg Bull KC

“These are the money men that control the production and supply of cannabis – far removed from members of the public that might enjoy a spliff on a Sunday afternoon.”

“It was a well-run, organised and profitable enterprise,” he continued.

“It was so successful and profitable that members of the gang were prepared to protect it, if necessary, at all costs.

“Their determination to protect their valuable crop came to a head just after 10.30pm on January 28, 2021, when these five defendants, together with others, murdered Tomasz Waga, a young man who had the intent of stealing the cannabis grown from the factory.”

Mr Bull said all five defendants “played their part in his murder”.

He said the cannabis, valued at around £120,000, was being grown in a property leased by the gang who pretended they were to rent it out to doctors at the Royal Gwent Hospital.

The jury were shown pictures of the inside of the house which had its windows covered and contained expensive equipment needed for the cultivation of cannabis plants, as well as the bed linen of ‘gardener’ Aliaj who lived there.

Mr Bull said telephone records show that it was Aliaj who tipped off his fellow gang members that the burglary was taking place before escaping through a downstairs window.

The gang turned up as Mr Waga and Mr Davies – the other two having fled already – were filling a bed sheet with cut cannabis and they began attacking Mr Davies before turning their attention to Mr Waga, Mr Bull said.

Describing Mr Waga’s injuries he said: “He was to sustain 25 sites of injury to his head and mouth, bruising to his chest with damage to his seventh, eighth, and 10th ribs.

“He had seven sites of injuries to his arms, and a degree of swelling and bruising to the brain.”

He added: “Mr Waga did not die immediately from the beating he received.

“Another car was dispatched from Colum Road, a Mercedes owned and driven by the defendant Gledis Mehalla.

“He arrived with Mario Qato, Palluci and Elezi.

“Mr Waga was brought to the parked Mercedes car, bundled into the back seat and driven off.

“We don’t know what happened in the car. We do know shortly afterwards he was dead.”

Mr Bull said the jury would hear during the course of the trial from a pathologist who would say the “mechanism of death was obstruction to the airways, and that his bleeding caused him to suffocate”.

The Mercedes used to transport Mr Waga has never been recovered despite extensive searches and numerous police appeals.

The day after the alleged murder Mehalla, Aliaj and two others, Artan Palluci, 29, and Elidon Elezi, 22, who are also suspected of being involved in Mr Waga’s killing, fled the country.

Mehalla was eventually extradited from Albania, and Aliaj from Germany. However, Palluci and Elezi have still not been found.

A bloodied baseball bat found inside another one of the gang members’ cars had on it the DNA of defendant Nushi and victim Mr Davies, while Aliaj’s DNA was found inside the car.

The trial continues.