Elson Sinanaj, 34, of City Road, Cardiff, was jailed for 27 months after being found in possession of drugs worth between £16,360 and £24,660. He had been working as a drug dealer in return for accommodation after becoming homeless.
Arrest in Cathays
At around 7.45pm on March 18, two police officers on mobile patrol in an unmarked vehicle in the Cathays area of Cardiff saw Sinanaj acting suspiciously outside a property. They watched him make a short telephone call before two women left the house, spoke to him, and an exchange ensued which the officers believed was a drug deal.
Sinanaj then walked to Salisbury Road and was stopped and detained under the Misuse of Drugs Act. In the right hand of his hoodie pocket, officers found seven small grip seal bags containing white powder suspected to be cocaine, £271 in cash, an Apple iPhone, a Vauxhall car key, and two house keys. He refused to provide his phone pin number.
Sinanaj was arrested and on the way to the police station officers discovered he had entered the UK illegally. He had moved to Wales from Albania and an asylum application has since been submitted on his behalf.
Further searches
After his arrest, officers returned to the Cranbrook Street house and spoke to the woman who had partaken in the deal. She let them access her phone, which contained messages showing the recent supply of cocaine, and explained that she had flushed the drugs down the toilet having been aware that police were nearby.
Officers then attended an address on Pearl Street, Adamsdown, which they believed was Sinanaj's address. A woman inside confirmed she was his partner but told officers he didn't live there. Nothing belonging to him was found, but a Vauxhall Corsa near the house matched his car keys. Inside the car, documents indicated he lived at a property on City Road.
The City Road address was searched and officers found a shoe box with four large white rocks, two grip lock seal bags containing white rocks, a vacuum seal bag containing cannabis, a plastic bag with cannabis, a large quantity of grip lock bags, £40 in notes, three sets of weighing scales, and grip lock bags with white powder inside.
Court proceedings
Sinanaj denied having anything to do with the items in the flat, saying he kept his belongings in his car and lived with his girlfriend on Pearl Street. He said his girlfriend denied he lived there because she was nervous about his immigration status. A DNA examination of a bag from the City Road flat was found to be a match to Sinanaj.
A drug expert concluded that a portion of the seized cocaine had been prepared for street-sized deals ready for onwards supply, while the rest were wholesale amounts. In total, Sinanaj was in possession of cannabis with a street value of between £720 and £1,200, and cocaine with a street value of between £15,640 and £23,460.
Sinanaj pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis on the basis that he was recruited by those above in the chain, was homeless and without money, was offered a place to live, and was directed to perform street dealing. Recorder Claire Pickthall sentenced him to 27 months in prison, with a lead offence of possession with intent to supply cocaine. He will serve up to half the term in custody and then be released on licence, and must comply with licence terms or serve the remainder in custody. A statutory surcharge must be paid within six months of his release.
