A Hemel man has been sentenced after police found 38 small bags of cocaine in a sock when they stopped the car.
Plain-clothed officers in an unmarked car spotted activity around a blue Mercedes E320 in Grove Hill near a parade of shops, St Albans Crown Court heard on Tuesday, May 14.
Prosecutor Rachel Law said the car sped off, but was stopped nearby.
In the driver’s seat was Ali Al-Waeli, 22, from Feltham, Middlesex. When asked, he gave the police his brother’s name and his brother, who was in the passenger seat, gave Ali’s name. But after the police made checks, they gave their true identities.
38 bags of white powder, that turned out to be cocaine, were found in a sock in the driver’s indoor pocket, the drug weighed 15.2 grams. Four mobile phones and £385 were also recovered.
Ali Al-Waeli’s DNA was found on the sock and the grip of the bags. He refused to give the PIN for the phones and by the time the police had unlocked them, any evidence of drug dealing had been deleted, said Ms Law.
Al-Waeli, of Hounslow Road, Feltham, appeared for sentence having pleaded guilty to possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply on May 15 last year. No action was taken against his brother.
Cassan Lindsay, defending, said he was of previous good character. He said Al-Waeli had dealt the drugs to have his own supply. He said the offence happened a year ago and there had been no further offending.
Judge Stephen Warner told him: “The use and abuse of Class A drugs blights the lives of people addicted to them.”
He passed a 20 month sentence, suspended for 21 months, saying he must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
The judge said the £385 should be confiscated and Al-Waeli should pay £1,000 prosecution costs.
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