The ‘upstanding family’ behind Bury bistro cocaine plot

But Rezart Balesi, the 44-year-old Bistro boss who led his son, brother and others into a major cocaine dealing plot, did not have the long criminal history recorded by many others like him.

This is what Judge Sarah Johnston alluded to when she told Balesi and his henchmen that their own families may have been left wondering why they had chosen such a path.

She said: “No one who spends any time at all in the crown court can fail to see the problems drugs, particularly but not always of Class A, cause to our community.”

Before his involvement in leading the cocaine conspiracy centred around the Village Bistro in Greenmount, Balesi’s only previous conviction had been for affray.

The conspiracy had centred around the Greenmount Village Bisto (Image: Google Maps)

This had arisen from his time as landlord of the Lord Raglan pub in Radcliffe when on May 2, 2015, he had used a bottle to beat a man as he lay on the ground.

This was after a fight had broken out near the pool table, while Balesi’s brother Refail, now 39, who would later become a key henchman in the drugs conspiracy, was also involved.

Greater Manchester Police were granted permission to revoke the pub’s licence and temporarily close it back in 2015 because of the brawl.

Rezart Balesi had previously been landlord of the Lord Raglan pub in Radcliffe (Image: Google Maps)

But the brothers avoided jail when brought before Bolton Crown Court in 2017, with each given 18-month sentences, suspended for two years.

At the time, Judge Timothy Clayson told them that they seemed to be “happy to get involved in large-scale violence”.

He told the brothers that had they been convicted by a jury, rather than each pleading guilty to affray, he would have sent them to prison.

Refail Balesi (Image: NWROCU)

But as he was sentenced for his role leading the drugs conspiracy nearly a decade later, prosecutor Lee Fish revealed Balesi had another conviction.

This was for gun offences in his native Albania in 2001, when he would have been in his late teens.

However, compared to other drug kingpins who come before the courts, Balesi’s barrister Andrew Alty was still able to say he was “comparatively lightly convicted”.

Rezart Balesi (Image: NWROCU)

Aside from the two brothers’ affray conviction, the only other member of the gang with a criminal history was “trusted street dealer” Fatos Vrenezi, 53.

He had previous convictions for assault, driving offences and possession of cocaine to his name.

Vrenezi, who Judge Johnston said came from an “upstanding family”, was an unusual figure to have been involved in dealing cocaine.

Fatos Vrenezi (Image: NWROCU)

His barrister Richard Vardon told the court how he had come from an educated family in Kosovo, arriving in the UK in 1991.

Mr Vardon told the court that Vrenezi’s father had been an academic, while his brother worked for the United Nations.

Judge Johnston told Balesi it was to his “eternal shame” that he had involved his 23-year-old son Joshua, who had no previous convictions, in the plot.

Joshua Balesi (Image: NWROCU)

But Joshua had also been involved in a separate cannabis plot, together with 33-year-old Antonino Precaj.

None of the other members of the gang, Immanuel Lumaj, 30, Fjoraldo Lukaj, 31, and Lorenzo Canovi, 48, had any previous convictions recorded against them.

All pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine, aside from Precaj, who confessed to being concerned in the supply and production of cannabis.

Antonino Precaj (Image: NWROCU)

Joshua also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Rezart Balesi, of Caldy Drive, Ramsbottom, was jailed for seven years and six months and Refail, of Links View Court, Whitefield, for five years and three months.

Joshua Balesi, of Hazelwood Drive, Bury, was jailed for four years and Vrenezi, of Sunny Bank Road, Bury, for four years.

Canovi, of Lune Close, Whitefield, was jailed for 37 months and Lumaj, of Heathway, Dagenham, for three years and nine months.

Lukaj, of Albert Avenue, Hull, for three years and six months, while Precaj, of Capstan Ride, Enfield, was jailed for 27 months.