A GANG member who was caught with up to £30,000 worth of cocaine has been jailed for selling the drug in Rugby.
Ankel Ndreu, 19, was sentenced at Warwick Crown Court to 44 months in prison, having pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, driving without insurance, and driving without a licence.
He was arrested as part of a week of action targeting county lines drug dealing in Warwickshire.
Ndreu came to the attention of plain-clothed detectives during a patrol in Railway Terrace on October 9.
They spotted him pull up in a car before another man got in and left a short time later, heading to a block of flats linked to local drug users.
Officers spotted the same car the following day in Corporation Street and followed it to York Street, where they attempted to stop the vehicle.
Ndreu fled from the vehicle and, following a short foot chase, was arrested in Dale Street.
Officers retraced his steps and found a bag containing 23 wraps of cocaine. A search of Ndreu led to the seizure of £2,000 in cash and a mobile phone.
An analysis of the phone at the scene showed that Ndreu lived at a house in York Street which was then searched by the officers, where they found a quarter kilo of cocaine with a street value of between £20,000-£30,000.
Det Cons Gary Hammond from Rugby Serious Organised Crime Team said: “We strongly suspect Ndreu was one part of a wider county lines drug network transporting drugs into Rugby. As well as this successful conviction, our activity has also left a drug gang significantly out of pocket.
“Putting Ndreu behind bars removes another threat from the streets of Rugby as we continue our efforts to rid the town of the scourge of this criminal activity.”
Report concerns around criminal activity at www.warwickshire.police.uk/report or by calling police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Visit https://tinyurl.com/4psj3x69 for more information on county lines drug crime and how to spot the signs.
