Two drug dealers jailed after cocaine and £10,000 found hidden in Stoke-on-Trent TV stand
Sentences total almost five years for dealers caught with cocaine
Two drug dealers have been sentenced to prison after cocaine and more than £10,000 in cash were found hidden in a TV stand in Stoke-on-Trent.
Mikele Bilali, a 26-year-old of no fixed address, and Ervin Hasa, 25, from Boothen, Stoke-on-Trent, were sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on 2nd October to a combined total of nearly five years in jail.
Bilali received a prison sentence of one year and 10 months after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs, cocaine, and various driving offences.
Meanwhile, Hasa was handed a three-year jail term after admitting possession with intent to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
The pair were apprehended by officers patrolling the Boothen area earlier this year, who stopped Bilali while he was driving a suspicious vehicle.
During their search, officers discovered mobile phones linked to Bilali containing drug-related messages and keys to a property occupied by Hasa.
Hasa was found carrying 19 snap bags of cocaine while additional searches revealed £10,700 in cash stashed in a Gucci bag within a TV stand, alongside 210 snap bags of cocaine, with further cash hidden in a game case.
Bilali was also found with 11 snap bags of cocaine in his trousers during a custody search.
The total amount of cocaine seized reached 241 snap bags, valued at around £9,500, while cash seized exceeded £11,900.
After initially providing no comment in interviews, both Bilali and Hasa eventually admitted the offences in court.
Chief Superintendent Steve Morrey said: “Bilali and Hasa were clearly involved in the supply of illegal drugs in Stoke-on-Trent and I am pleased they have been handed custodial sentences for their offending.
“We are determined to disrupt, pursue and prosecute those involved in drug dealing in Staffordshire and will continue to do all we can to get those responsible before the courts.”