A drug dealer faces a prison spell and then deportation after being found guilty of offences in Brighton in the run-up to Pride last year.
Elton Bakijasi was stopped by officers from the Specialist Enforcement Unit (SEU) at the junction of Powis Grove and Dyke Road after being suspected of using his vehicle for dealing class-A drugs.
As he was arrested, he tried to kick a cubby hole in the vehicle shut.
Officers found 27 grip seal bags contained inside, and also found evidence that Bakijasi was using a false Italian driving licence.
He was charged with possession of a class A drug with intent to supply and with possession of false identity documents with intent.
Following an investigation by Detective Thornton-Green from Brighton CID, he was convicted at Hove Crown Court on January 27th and has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.
The court heard how the SEU officers stopped the blue Ford Fiesta driven by Bakijasi at 7.10pm on August 3.
Bakijasi, 44, unemployed of Station Road, Portslade, did not have a valid licence and the vehicle was not registered in his name.
He will also face a deportation order upon his release.
The operation was part of a crackdown carried out by Brighton and Hove’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, Tactical Enforcement Unit, Specialist Enforcement Unit, and Dedicated Coaching Unit.
The four-day operation included 50 searches of individuals, properties and vehicles, resulting in the seizures of:
- 165 wraps of Class A drugs worth around £10,000
- Over 30 cannabis portions of varying quantities
- Nine weapons
- Five vehicles
- £5,250 in cash
- Eight people were arrested and three vulnerable people were safeguarded with reports written to support then.
Chief Inspector Andy Saville, of Brighton and Hove’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Catching criminals and keeping our communities safe is a round-the-clock job, carried out every day of the year.
“This targeted activity combined our safety preparations for Brighton Pride with an ongoing operation aimed at disrupting the drug supply into Brighton and Hove.
“It was a fine example of community intelligence combining with enforcement and CID, to take a significant number of harmful substances, weapons and individuals off the streets.”
