A cocaine dealer arrested by plain clothed officers in Maidstone has been jailed.

Police spotted a suspected drug user walking towards a car parked on a service road off Palace Avenue on September 2.

They approached the vehicle where the man was leaning in through the passenger door window holding a £20 note.

On seeing the officers, he quickly walked away from the car still holding the cash.

Edi Dalipaj was sitting in the passenger seat and was detained for a drug search, after which seven wraps of cocaine were seized from a black pouch on his lap along with a mobile phone and £60 cash.

A further £885 was recovered from a sun visor, £189 in loose change from a bag in the passenger’s foot well and a second mobile phone was found in the centre console.

The phones were examined and found to have text messages relating to drug dealing. The seized drugs were later found to have a street value of between £2,800 and £4,200.

"My message to those seeking to commit crime in our town is simple; our plain clothes patrols and their colleagues in uniform will track you down and bring you to justice" - Ch Insp Ray Quiller

Dalipaj, of no fixed address, was arrested and later charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply.

The 22-year-old pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court two days after the incident and at the same court on Monday, November 25, he was jailed for two years and eight months.

The seized cash, totalling £1,134, was also forfeited.

District Commander for Maidstone, Ch Insp Ray Quiller said: "Another dealer has found that coming to Maidstone to supply drugs will lead to a swift arrest.

"My message to those seeking to commit crime in our town is simple; our plain clothes patrols and their colleagues in uniform will track you down and bring you to justice.

"Any cash or property we suspect to be the proceeds of crime will of course also be seized for later confiscation."

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