A man from Southgate has been jailed for 7 and a half years following a motorway chase and the seizure of cocaine worth up to £400,000.
Arian Aliaj, 36, from Freshfields Drive, Southgate, London, failed to stop for police whilst driving on the M1 near Junction 15 on 22 March.
Officers later found the vehicle, an Audi A6, abandoned near Rugby with three kilograms of cocaine lying nearby and one kilogram in the boot of the car.
Later the same day, investigators from the joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Organised Crime Partnership arrested Aliaj when they stopped a black BMW travelling on a M40 slip road at junction 9.
When officers searched his house on Freshfields Drive, they found additional amounts of cocaine, drugs paraphernalia and almost £4,000 in cash.
The driver of the BMW was also arrested, but later released under investigation.
Aliaj appeared at Warwick Crown Court on Friday [19 June] where he was sentenced to 7 and a half years.
He had pleaded guilty to charges of possession with intent to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving at a hearing on 24 March.
OCP Operations Manager Matthew McMillan said: “Not only was Aliaj involved in endangering people through the criminal supply of drugs, he was willing to recklessly risk the lives of road users in a bid to evade arrest.
“Through the OCP’s work with local police forces, we were able to seize this cocaine before it made it onto the streets.
“Class A drugs are always linked to serious and organised crime and their supply relies on exploitation, violence and intimidation that harms people across the UK.
“Despite the current lockdown, the NCA and Met Police are not letting up our efforts to tackle serious and organised crime and protect the public.”
The operation was supported by both Northamptonshire and Warwickshire Police.
