A man found to have 4kg of high purity cocaine after his Range Rover was stopped on the A40 has been jailed for three and a half years.

The car, which belonged to an Albanian national, was stopped on the busy A-road near Northolt and found to have four packages of cocaine in the footwell behind the drivers seat on March 30.

The driver, 37-year-old Ilir Durishti may now face deportation having pleaded guilty to the charge of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply.

Durishti, of Kenworthy Road, Clapton, told St Albans Crown Court he had received a text message to travel to Oxford to pick up the package.

"When I arrived someone put a bag in the car. I never touched the bag" he said.

"I was supposed to deliver it to Finchley in London. I was not going to sell the package. I suspected the package was drugs. I was simply acting as a courier."

The bags of cocaine were wrapped in brown tape and placed inside a JD Sports bag. One of them weighed exactly 1kg with the other three weighing 999 grams each.

The prosecution argued that the high purity of the cocaine - one package at 73%, two at 83% and one at 84%, indicated Durishti was high up in the supply chain.

Judge Andrew Bright QC told him: "You were very close to those smuggling cocaine into this country. The prosecution accept you were a courier. You were an important part of the operation.

"You may not be legitimately in this country. This conviction renders you liable to be deported by the Border Agency. I direct they should look at your position as regards your immigration status. It will be for them to decide."

The judge also ordered destruction of the drugs and forfeiture of his Land Rover.

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