Ipswich – Teenager sentenced for drugs offences

An 18-year-old man has been given a custodial sentence of more than three years after being convicted of drugs offences in Suffolk and Merseyside.

Nadir Elezaj, of no fixed address, appeared at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday 25 April, where he was sentenced to a total of 39 months’ detention in a Young Offender Institution.

Elezaj had previously pleaded guilty to four offences occurring in Suffolk: being concerned in the supply of cannabis; possession of cannabis with intent to supply; possession of a counterfeit document; and possession of criminal property – namely cash to the value of £2,260.

He was also convicted two offences in Merseyside: production of cannabis; and abstracting electricity.  

He was sentenced to a total of 12-months’ detention for the Suffolk offences, which will be served consecutively to a 27-month detention for the Merseyside offences, bringing his total sentence to 39 months.

On 19 May 2024 Sentinel South officers were on duty in Ipswich when they saw Elezaj riding a mountain bike on London Road. As they approached Elezaj, he rode off at speed, riding up onto pavements and swerving from one side of the road to another. He then cycled down the towpath alongside the river.

The Sentinel officers requested assistance and other officers positioned themselves on the towpath at Princes Street, but when Elezaj saw police he abandoned his bike and ran off.

An officer gave chase and Elezaj was soon apprehended and detained for a drug search. A search of the towpath found a number of re-sealable pouches of cannabis that appeared to have been thrown into bushes.

Elezaj was then arrested, provided his name and claimed he had arrived in Ipswich the day before, stating that he had no local address. He refused to provide the PIN code for his phone.

The officers were aware of other cases where people arrested for supplying cannabis were known to purchase bicycles locally, so enquiries were made at a nearby retailer around recent sales and officers were led to an address in Wherstead Road.

Permission was given to officers by the landlord to search the premises and in the attic room a wallet was found containing Elezaj’s ID card, together with a counterfeit Romanian driving licence showing his photo but in a different name.

162 re-sealable pouches of cannabis were located under the bed. The living room at the address also had a bed and here officers found 139 re-sealable pouches of cannabis, as well as a total of over £2,220 in cash.

The total value of the cannabis seized from the towpath and the address was in the region of £12,500.

In interview, Elezaj gave a prepared statement denying his involvement in selling drugs and he answered ‘no comment’ to all questions. He was released on conditional police bail, with a requirement to reside and sleep at his youth accommodation in Kent and report regularly to his local police station.

Analysis of Elezaj’s phone provided further evidence of his involvement in the supply of cannabis and his fingerprints were found on the packaging of the cannabis found at the address in Wherstead Road.

Elezaj failed to answer bail and was found never to have reported to his local police station in Kent and his youth workers advised that he had left the area. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently authorised charges for the offences in Suffolk on 6 September 2024.

On 21 February 2025 Elezaj was discovered by Merseyside Police in a cannabis factory. He was charged and remanded in custody for both their offences and those committed in Suffolk.

Sergeant Dave Logan, of the Sentinel South Team, said: “Nadir Elezaj has shown his clear contempt for the justice system, as after being caught by ourselves for drugs offences in Suffolk, he failed to comply with his bail conditions and relocated himself to Merseyside where his offending continued.

“He was located as a result of proactive raids targeting organised crime gangs and we are grateful to our colleagues at Merseyside Police for locating him and bringing him to justice.”