Man jailed for drug dealing offences after Bury St Edmunds stop

A man from West Sussex who was caught with drugs and cash in a vehicle in Bury St Edmunds has been jailed.

On 13 November last year, officers from the West Area Sentinel team stopped a vehicle as it was being driven on Station Hill in Bury St Edmunds.

The driver was detained for the purposes of a search under Section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act.

Officers located multiple press seal bags of powder cocaine along with £685 in cash.

Erald Ndreca, 30, of Lark Rise, Crawley in West Sussex, was arrested and subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply cocaine and acquiring criminal property. He was remanded in custody before being sentencing on Friday 17 January at Ipswich Crown Court.  

Ndreca had pleaded guilty to all offences and was sentenced to 33 months’ imprisonment. The cash, which officers proven had come from the sale of drugs, was ordered to be paid to charity.

PC Harry Tully from the West Sentinel team said: “This is a great result. We built a strong case against Ndreca using evidence which left him with no other option than to plead guilty.

“The courts have ordered that the cash which was in his possession will be paid directly to charity, so it’s great to see a small positive outcome from his offending.

“We will continue to seek out those involved in organised crime in Suffolk to make this county a hostile place for anyone planning to commit crime in our county.”

The arrest and investigation was led by the Sentinel West team. The three Sentinel teams across the south, west and eastern areas of the county provide enhanced coverage of Suffolk’s road network to proactively disrupt serious and organised criminal activity as well as increase police visibility. The mobile unit disrupts criminals and protects communities across Suffolk’s road network using a variety of techniques to deal with offenders involved.

If you suspect drug activity report this via the website www.suffolk.police.uk/contact-us/report-something/report-crime, call 101, or alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers to report anonymously – either online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.