Jailed: City drug dealer who hid 30 bags of cocaine inside socks

A cocaine dealer caught driving around the Square Mile with 30 bags of drugs stuffed inside socks has been jailed for more than two years.

Admir Palushi, 23, of no fixed abode, was pulled over by City of London police after he was spotted balancing an iPhone on his leg while hiding another phone under his lap in an Audi A6 in Aldgate.

He was searched along with the car where officers found 30 bags of cocaine concealed inside two socks and a large amount of cash on December 16.

Palushi was arrested for drugs offences and faced further charges when insurance documents and the car’s logbook did not match his identity.

Furthermore, despite initially telling police he was Greek and showing them a licence as part of his claim, he later admitted he was actually Albanian.

Analysis of the ID documents proved they were fraudulent while messages stored on two phones seized from the car showed postcodes and estimated arrival times, a hallmark approach for people buying and selling cocaine.

In his police interview, Palushi answered no comment to all questions put to him while he told officers he “could not remember” where he lived.

On Monday he was jailed for 32 months at Inner London Crown Court after he pleaded guilty to possession of a class A drug with intent to supply and holding false ID documents.

Read more

• Drug smuggler hid £2 million of liquid cocaine in oil filter units

• Drug smugglers flew £2.5 million of cocaine into UK on Brexit vote day

• Gang smuggled drugs into UK disguised to look like fruit and veg

• Police seize 1,100 kg of cocaine in 'Australia's biggest ever bust'

He also received six penalty points for driving without insurance, while an order was made for the forfeiture and destruction of the drugs, with the car and cash also seized.

Detective Constable Vincent Baughan from the City of London Police said: “I hope this sentence acts as a warning to anyone those engaged in this sort of criminality that the City is a hostile environment for them – it’s just not worth the risk.

“We have officers out on the streets to keep the Square Mile a safe place to live, work and visit.

“If you’re involved in this kind of offending, we will find you, and we’ll do everything in our power to bring you before the courts.”