Drug dealer caught with high cocaine consumption and sentenced to 21 months in prison

A drug dealer has been jailed for his role in supplying cocaine to the Isle of Wight.

Gezim Bajrami, 26, was stopped by police in a car in Ryde on February 17.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard that when officers searched the vehicle – which Bajrami had no insurance to drive – they found seven bags of cocaine.

Bajrami himself was also found to be under the influence of cocaine.

Two days later, judges revoked Bajrami's driving license while the police investigation into the drug offense continued.

On March 6, Bajrami was again spotted by police driving in the Ryde area.

When officers stopped the car, it was discovered Bajrami had been smoking cannabis while driving, the court heard.

When the vehicle was searched, a package of cocaine was found.

Bajrami was later charged with two counts of possession of cocaine with intent to supply, two counts of driving without insurance, possession of cannabis and driving without a license.

He admitted all the offenses and claimed he had collected the drugs from the mainland and transported them to the island for third parties to distribute.

Appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court on Monday (September 30), Bajrami was sentenced to 21 months in prison and banned from driving for 20 months.

The judge said Bajrami acted as a courier and would have had some understanding of the quantity of drugs being transported, noting that the quantity was “far from insignificant”.

PC Tom Wyld, of the Isle of Wight Crime Team, said: “Bajrami's conviction and sentence are the result of the sustained efforts of officers from numerous teams – including the area's crime team and neighborhood officers – to gather drug intelligence and tirelessly pursue it on the supply involved.

“Drugs are a scourge on the community, causing untold harm and are often linked to other crimes such as serious violence and anti-social behaviour.

“There is no place for this on our island and we encourage anyone with information about drug supply in their neighborhood to continue to report it to the police.

“Any information you provide will help us develop the broader intelligence picture and ultimately allow us to take action against the criminals involved.”

If you have information about drug supply in your area, you can contact police on 101 or report crime using the reporting tool at www.hampshire.police.uk