Southend drug dealer sentenced in Basildon Crown Court

Sokol Zgjana, 28, of Southchurch Road, fled police on an e-bike, then fought with Essex Police officers when they caught up with him.

When they eventually apprehended and searched him, he was carrying a black sock containing 27 tickets and bags of cocaine. He was also carrying cannabis.

He had already racked up two previous convictions for drug driving, a caution for possession of Class A drugs and had more than £1,300 seized from him in a prior drugs investigation for which he was never charged.

Basildon Crown Court heard on Friday (January 23) that Zgjana had been in the UK for a decade and never worked legally or paid tax.

He had applied for leave to remain, been rejected last year and been here illegally ever since, said prosecutor Andrew Cookson.

“He has never been able to work legally,” said defence barrister Kevin Toomey.

“His uncle, who he lives with, has two restaurants. His uncle insisted that Mr Zgjana could only work for him if he was able to work here legally.

“So he’s never worked other than odd jobs for cash in hand, supported by monies gifted to him and shared with him by his girlfriend, who is British and he’s been with her for six years.”

His client was thus “very short of money”, said Mr Toomey – but “chose to spend what he did have on cocaine.

“As is so typical in these cases of runners… he ran up a drug debt to the man that supplied him and then worked for him, selling drugs as we see here, to pay that off.”

It was “to his credit” that his client hadn’t worked illegally or made a bogus asylum application, said Mr Toomey, but Zgjana admitted his actions had been “stupid”.

“His girlfriend of six years is standing by him and his greatly distressed at the thought that he will receive a custodial sentence,” he said.

“He has brought that difficulty on her and that distress to her himself.”

Recorder Iain MacDonald sentenced Zgjana to two years in prison.

“I have thought carefully about whether I can suspend that sentence,” he said.

“I have decided that I cannot in this case. Whilst you have limited previous convictions, they all concern drug use.

“I am told that you got into this offending through your drug use… All of that gives me serious cause to doubt whether there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation in your case.

“I think it much more likely, given your difficulties with communicating in English and the fact that you have no right to work legally, that you would be drawn into committing further offences.”