Drug dealers jailed for more than 40 years after police find £6.3million of cocaine

 
Clockwise from top left: Nexhip Shehi, Vladamir Palushi, Athanasios Anastopoulos, Dorjan Ramaj, Rezart Lepuri and Bib Gjegjaj (Pictures: Surrey Police)
Surrey Police
Laura Proto30 July 2015
WEST END FINAL

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A group of London drug dealers found with a stash of cocaine worth an estimated £6.3million have been jailed for more than 40 years.

The discovery of the drugs was made during a joint operation by Surrey Police's serious and organised crime unit and the National Crime Agency (NCA) in Caterham earlier this year.

Officers stopped three vehicles after they were seen leaving an address in Croydon Road on March 12, and the drugs were found in each of the vehicles.

An investigation found that drugs were being supplied from the property and six men were charged with possession of a class A drug with intent to supply.

Police said the amount of cocaine found would have had a potential street value of £6.3million.

The six men, from locations across London, were remanded in custody until their appearance at Guildford Crown Court on July 10 where they all pleaded guilty.

At the same court, the group were jailed for a total of 44 years and three months on July 28.

Nexhip Shehi, 27, of Brighton Road, South Croydon, was sentence to 12 years in prison, Vladmir Palushi, 26, of Whitstable Place, Croydon was jailed for 11 years and Athanasios Anastopoulos, 28, of Green Lane, Norbury, was handed a prison sentence of nine years.

Bib Gjegjaj, 27, of no fixed abode, was jailed for four years and six months, Rezart Lepuri, 42, of Shepherds Bush Green, London, was sentenced to four years in prison and Dorjan Ramaj, 24, of Chiswick High Road, was jailed for three years and nine months.

Gary Matthews, NCA branch operations manager, said: "This joint operation has brought down a significant organised crime group responsible for putting large quantities of class A drugs worth many millions of pounds on to the streets of London and beyond.

"We were only able to dismantle this network because of our close work with Surrey Police. We are determined to pursue and disrupt organised criminal networks and prevent them causing harm."

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