Police found Class A drugs worth about £17,000 – and a large stash of £23,000 cash – after a drugs swoop on a flat in Hull.
But the occupant of the premises was not traced until a year later when a car was stopped in the city and a further £1,000 cash was seized, a court heard.
Enea Ademaj, 29, formerly of Beverley Road, Hull, admitted being concerned in supplying Class A drugs on June 30, 2022.
Jade Bucklow, prosecuting, told Grimsby Crown Court that police executed a search warrant on a flat above a shop in Hull. Inside the unoccupied flat, officers found a cream Valentino bag in a wardrobe containing wraps of cocaine. There was a total of about 200g of the drug, with an estimated street value of about £17,000.
A further search revealed £23,000 in cash, which was in bundles. A set of scales in the kitchen revealed traces of cocaine. The items were taken away. Some time later, a patrolling police officer spotted a window to the flat opened. He investigated the unoccupied flat and found private documents including a driving licence belonging to Ademaj.
It was not until May 2023 that police carried out a search of a car in Hull and discovered Ademaj in the vehicle and £1,000 in cash. Miss Bucklow said that Ademaj had a lesser role in the supply of the Class A drugs but he knew of the scale of the trade.
Nick Cartmell, mitigating, said that Ademaj was of previous good character and the offences were three years ago. Ademaj had not been involved in any offending since then. “He had no involvement in the supply of the drugs himself,” said Mr Cartmell. He submitted references on Ademaj’s behalf.
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Judge Gurdial Singh said that it was clear that Ademaj was using his premises to store the drugs to avoid police detection. The references showed that people thought highly of Ademaj.
Judge Singh said that, usually, drugs offences meant immediate custody because of the “untold misery they inflict on communities and drug users” but there was a realistic prospect of Ademaj, a retail worker, being rehabilitated, which outweighed the need for immediate custody.
Ademaj, now living in Fairleigh, Sheffield, was given a two-year suspended prison sentence, 200 hours’ unpaid work and 20 days’ rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay £1,500 court costs.
The cash seized will be forfeited.