A former chef was found in possession of up to £2.2m worth of heroin and crack cocaine when police searched properties he was linked to. He later claimed he was instructed to store the drugs in order to pay off a backstreet gambling debt.
Essac Ali, 35, was arrested by police in Cardiff on March 8 after he was forced to stop his car by a three-car box manoeuvre when he tried to escape. He had to be dragged out of his vehicle with police breaking the windows to enable them to access the car.
A sentencing hearing at Newport Crown Court on Thursday heard the defendant was found in possession of a small amount of Class A drugs and cash. But searches were carried out at addresses in Cathedral Road and Cowbridge Road East that he was linked to.
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Prosecutor Steven Donoghue said a total of 17kg of heroin and 4kg of crack cocaine was discovered along with £10,000 in cash. The wholesale value of the drugs were calculated between £300,000 and £438,000 but had a street value of between £2.17m and £2.28m.
In his sentencing remarks Judge Matthew Porter-Bryant said: "Much of the cocaine came in kilogram blocks and these were stamped suggestive of import quality and likely to be of high purity. In addition heroin in stamped blocks were found as were cutting agents and scales together with smaller street deals.. It's quite clear you were storing those drugs in significant quantities."
Ali, of Plantagenet Street, Riverside, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. The court heard he had previous convictions for possession with intent to supply heroin, being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession of cannabis, and conspiracy to pervert the course of justice.
In mitigation John Ryan said his client had racked up a "backstreet" gambling addiction and agreed to be the custodian of the drugs in order to pay off his debt, which was reduced by £2,500 per month. The defendant, a father of four, previously worked as a chef at Spice Kitchen but lost his job as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. However he continued gambling.
Judge Porter-Bryant sentenced Ali to a total of 104 months imprisonment, which amounts to more than eight years. He was also made subject to Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) proceedings to determine if he will pay any money back.
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