Drug dealer sentenced after Hove vehicle stop

A drug dealer who used a taxi as a passenger to supply cocaine has been jailed.

Erblind Daxha, 28, was stopped by plain-clothes officers from the Tactical Firearms Unit.

They were completing patrols to assist with tackling the supply of class A drugs in Brighton and Hove.

Daxha was seen acting suspiciously. When the vehicle was stopped, he tried to drop cocaine into the taxi, hidden in a small plastic egg.

He denied the drugs were his, but officers found another plastic egg containing cocaine wraps in Daxha’s jacket pocket.

At Lewes Crown Court on November 4 he admitted possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

The court heard how a Brighton and Hove taxi was stopped by TFU officers in Cromwell Road, Hove, on October 4.

Officers saw Daxha discard the plastic egg container into the taxi.

He claimed the package was not his own, but the second container was found in his pocket.

Daxha later attempted to claim the items were not his and he had only picked them up because he was curious.

But TFU officers had seen him acting suspiciously, using the taxi to take him from one customer to another.

In total, 17 wraps of cocaine were found in the two containers.

Daxha, of no fixed address, was sentenced to two years and two months in prison for the offence.

TFU Inspector Oli Fisher said: “Officers from the Tactical Firearms Unit continue to play a critical role to keep the public safe. When they aren’t responding to serious or violent incidents, they prioritise catching offenders, including for drugs and other offences, using a variety of tactics, skills and experience.

“This has resulted in dozens of arrests so far this year.

“Officers are determined to disrupt the supply of class A drugs which cause so much harm in our communities.

“We are pleased that Daxha had no choice but to plead guilty when this matter came to court.”