A homeless drug dealer is facing the possibility of deportation back to Moldova after he was caught red-handed in south Essex.
Roman Tuzla, 30, was intercepted by police in Southend after members of the public reported him driving erratically on August 17.
Prosecutor Stefan Salham said at one point Tuzla, who had been sleeping in the Thurrock area, almost crashed the Ford Focus he was driving into a ditch.
He was followed by officers up North Street, Star Lane and Poynters Lane before he stopped.
He was found to be in possession of 19 clear bags filled with cocaine, plus a small amount of cannabis.
He pleaded guilty to possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply and possessing a Class B drug.
He appeared at Basildon Crown Court for sentence on Friday (September 25).
Defence barrister Kevin Toomey said Tuzla came to the UK in 2019 and worked legally until he returned home in 2022 following the death of his father.
Whilst back in Moldova, he and his mother got a mortgage on a property but Tuzla found his jobs in construction and a warehouse were not enough to keep up the repayments, so he returned to the UK, again.
“But the rules had changed by then and even though he was here legally, because he had no settles status from his previous visit, he was unable to work. He had not realised that,” said Mr Toomey.
In desperation, said the lawyer, “He accepted an offer from someone that befriended him to sell drugs. It’s a common and sad story and it has led him to where he is today.
“He wants to return to Moldova and he understands that in all likelihood, that is going to happen rather soon. He has no fixed address in this country. He has no method of supporting himself legally.”
Judge Siew Loke said she accepted that Tuzla’s intention had been to work legally and had found himself in unexpected difficulty on his return to the UK.
“That obviously is not an excuse but I do accept that you would not have ended up this way had your circumstances been different,” she said.
She sentenced him to 28 months in prison, making him eligible for automatic deportation proceedings.
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