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Posted on the 22nd January 2025 in PHTM News
CABBIE AND PASSENGER JAILED FOR TRAFFICKING COCAINE BETWEEN NORTHAMPTON AND MILFORD HAVEN
A taxi driver and his passenger have been imprisoned for drug trafficking after they were caught attempting to discard a substantial quantity of cocaine during a police stop on the Cleddau Bridge in Pembrokeshire.
Pajtim Meta (pictured right), 26, of Northampton, and Albert Nikolla, 26, of London, were accused of transporting cocaine between Northampton and Milford Haven.
Nikolla pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and being concerned in its supply, and during the trial, also admitted to a separate cocaine possession charge from 9 June 2023, in London.
Meta denied all charges but was found guilty of possession with intent to supply and being concerned in the supply of cocaine after a brief jury deliberation.
The prosecution, Caitlin Brazel, informed the court that Nikolla had been arrested in London on 9 June after officers observed him "slumped in the seat as if he didn't want to be seen."
A licence check revealed he was a "person of interest" to immigration authorities. A search of his vehicle yielded 37 wraps of cocaine, totaling 19 grammes, with an estimated street value of £1,110 to £1,850.
The court heard that on 18 January 2023, Dyfed-Powys Police conducted routine traffic checks in the vicinity of the Cleddau Bridge, leading to the stop of Meta's taxi. As Meta halted the vehicle, Nikolla fled from the back seat, discarding a bag for life. Inside the bag, officers discovered a 1,001-gramme block of cocaine, valued between £57,200 and £85,800 when sold in street deals.
Meta initially claimed to police that he was merely a taxi driver, unfamiliar with his co-defendant and having never visited Pembrokeshire before. However, ANPR checks revealed nine previous trips from Northampton to Milford Haven by Meta's taxi.
Confronted with this evidence, Meta admitted to driving Nikolla on each occasion, acknowledging he had previously lied "because he was scared" of a lengthy prison sentence.
Nikolla was sentenced to a total of four years and three months for both sets of offences, while Meta was jailed for five years.
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