Dramatic moment police swoop on drug dealer after he got stuck in traffic with £90,000 of cocaine stashed in his car
- Officers followed Marian Dinca, 26, as he drove towards the Dartford Crossing
- Sprinted out of unmarked 4x4s when he got stuck in traffic and made arrest
- Admitted drugs charges and was jailed for four years in Maidstone on Friday
This is the dramatic moment police swooped on a cocaine dealer after he became stuck in traffic and caught him with a £90,000 haul stashed inside a plastic Tesco freezer bag.
Officers had been following Marian Dinca, 26, as he drove towards the Dartford Crossing in Kent in his Fiat 500 before deciding to strike when he came to a halt at around 5.45pm.
The police team sprinted out of their unmarked 4x4s and bundled two men out of the car, including Dinca, who was arrested for drugs charges after his stash was discovered. He was jailed on Friday for more than four years.
Officers had been following Marian Dinca, 26, as he drove towards the Dartford Crossing in Kent in his Fiat 500 before deciding to strike when he came to a halt at around 5.45pm
Dinca admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and acquiring criminal property. He was jailed for four years
Dinca was arrested on April 17 and found with the bag, which contained 846g of cocaine at 45 percent purity.
A smartphone was also seized and, while he was in custody, his phone received several messages that clearly connected him to drug smuggling.
Leicestershire Police later carried out further searches at his home, leading to the discovery of £12,500 in cash.
Maidstone Crown Court heard on Friday that Dinca came to the UK just under two years ago ‘in search of a better life’ and to send money home to his sick relatives.
His heavily-pregnant girlfriend gave birth to their child shortly after his arrest.
Dinca, who has no previous convictions, found a job immediately and was working at Panache clothing factory in Leicester but was made redundant last month due to the pandemic.
The police team sprinted out of their unmarked SUVs and bundled two men out of the car, including Dinca, (pictured) who was arrested for drugs charges after his stash was discovered
Officers ordered Dinca – who was wearing a loosely-fitting surgical mask – to get to the ground before he was arrested
He was put into handcuffs and taken into custody, while police searched his home and found £12,500 in cash
He admitted to possessing cocaine with intent to supply, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and acquiring criminal property.
The defence claimed he had become financially ‘desperate’ after losing his job so turned to drug smuggling.
But jailing him for four years and four months, Judge Tony Baumgartner said Dinca had played a ‘trusted and significant’ role in the drugs operation.
Detective Sergeant Jason Booth, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: ‘A substantial amount of cocaine was found in Dinca’s car and this, coupled with the phone we seized, provides clear evidence that he was involved in a well-organised plot to supply class A drugs.
‘The quality of our evidence gathering, combined with the professionalism of our officers who acted quickly to detain him, led to this arrest.
‘This result sends a clear message that we have the expertise and resources to target individuals involved in organised criminality in our county.’
Dinca was arrested on April 17 and found with 846g of cocaine at 45 percent purity, which was kept inside a Tesco freezer bag
Searches were carried out on Dinca’s home and £12,500 worth of cash – pictured – recovered