GANGLAND BRITAIN: Albanian illegal immigrant caught with £1m of drugs came to UK to be gangster

AN ILLEGAL immigrant who came to the UK to become a top-end cocaine dealer is facing a lengthy jail spell.

Albanian national Muhamet Qosja, 29, (pictured above) admitted an array of aroganised crime offences after he was found to have stashed drugs and a handgun under a child's cot at his home.

Oosja, 29, from Valentines Road, Ilford, was stopped in his car in nearby Melbourne Road, after being under surveillance by specialist police on October 13.

A spokesman for the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) said: "A search revealed £23,000 in cash in a compartment behind the dashboard.

"A further search of his home led to the discovery of a handgun with 20 rounds of ammunition and five kilo blocks of cocaine hidden in bags beneath a child’s cot.

"Another six kilos of cocaine and drugs paraphernalia was found in laundry bags."

The drugs had a street value of £1.1 million.

SEIZURE: The gun and ammo (above) and blocks of cocaine (top) (NCA)

The spokesman added: "Qosja told officers that he’d been living in the UK illegally since arriving from Albania in 2014 and he actively sought out work as a drug dealer, as he knew it ‘paid well’."

At Snaresbrook Crown Court he pleaded guilty to six charges relating to possessing a firearm, ammunition, possession with intent to supply cocaine and money laundering. .

He will be sentenced at a separate hearing at Snaresbrook Crown Court in January 2021.

The OCP is a joint NCA and Metropolitan Police Service unit, which targets mid-tier drug runners and other organised criminals.

Detective Chief Inspector Tony O’Sullivan of the OCP said: “Qosja, was illegally in the UK and was actively distributing class A drugs on behalf of an organised crime group, a proactive investigation by the OCP meant his illegal career was stopped and he now faces a custodial sentence.

“The dedicated work between NCA and Met officers has removed a dangerous firearm from circulation and a large quantity of class A drugs and cash making our streets safer for the public.”

The full charges he admitted were: *Possess with intent to supply a controlled drug of Class A - Cocaine

*Possess a firearm of length less than 30cm / 60cm - prohibited weapon

*Possess a firearm without a certificate

*Possess ammunition for a firearm without a certificate

*Conceal / disguise / convert / transfer / remove criminal property

*Possess / control identity documents with intent