Bournemouth cocaine and cannabis dealer Mirent Chotza jailed

Mirent Chotza's criminal behaviour came to the attention of police after officers stopped the vehicle he was driving in Surrey Road and found a small amount of the class A drug near the steering wheel.

A subsequent search of his address in Nelson Road unearthed a much larger amount of a similar batch of cocaine in a false ceiling.

Police seized 41 wraps of cocaine, as well as herbal cannabis and cash from the property.

Judge Stephen Climie jailed the 25-year-old for two years and four months after telling the defendant class A drugs are "endemic" in the United Kingdom and "ruining lives".

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Prosecutor Alec Williams told a hearing at Bournemouth Crown Court on May 18 that the value of the cocaine at street level was in excess of £4,000, while the cannabis was just over £1,000.

Officers found a total of £2,370 at the defendant's address, which was to be forfeited following a court order.

Mr Williams said Chotza's mobile phone was briefly examined and text messages were consistent with the "direct dealing of drugs".

This all came after the police stop on September 2, 2019, when Chotza was at the wheel of a Volkswagen Golf.

The prosecutor said the defendant, who had no previous convictions, had a "significant role" in drug dealing at street level.

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Mitigating, Emilio Pagliocchini said Chotza moved to the United Kingdom from Greece three years ago.

He was born in Albania but his family relocated to Greece when he was young.

After completing compulsory military service, the defendant travelled to the United Kingdom and he initially worked as a kitchen porter.

Mirent Chotza

"It was at this point that this defendant fell into a class A drug addiction," said Mr Pagliocchini.

As the addiction became "heavier and heavier", Chotza became involved in supplying drugs, the court heard.

Mr Pagliocchini said some of his client's text messages presented elements of a lesser role as he had a limited function in the drug operation and acted under direction.

Chotza, whose address in court was given as Guerin Square, London, previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis and possessing criminal property.

Judge Climie said the defendant became involved in the drug dealing operation to fund his own habit.

In sentencing Chotza, the judge said: "The use and abuse of class A drugs in the United Kingdom is endemic and is ruining lives, including yours, across the country and indeed across most of western Europe."

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