Man jailed after kilo of ketamine found in car stopped by police in Hertfordshire

A man has been jailed after detectives who stopped his car found a kilo of ketamine and packets of cocaine hidden in the vehicle.

An investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) found that Tony Scott, 32, of no fixed address, was involved in the sale of cocaine and ketamine, a class B drug intended for use by medical practitioners and veterinarians as an anaesthetic.

Officers initially stopped Scott’s car in stationary traffic between Junction 24 and 25 of the M25 in Hertfordshire at around 8pm on June 7 and arrested him on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A drug.

Searches of the vehicle, which contained a passenger and a young child, found a kilogramme of white powder - later confirmed as ketamine - in a brown envelope.

In addition, investigators also found a number of mobile phones, packets of cocaine hidden behind covers between the car’s gear stick and hand brake, and cash stored in a baby bag.

Further enquires then led detectives to search a hotel room in Upminster, east London, later the same evening. There they found over £30,000 in cash stored in boxes, along with evidence of drug dealing such as scales, deal bags and more white power and rocks.

Scott was subsequently charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs (cocaine), possession with intent to supply class B drugs (ketamine) and possession of criminal property.

He pleaded guilty at a hearing at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, September 16, and was jailed for six years.

Detective Inspector Mike Birch, from ERSOU’s Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “This was an important result which stopped a significant amount of class A drugs making its way into our communities and has ensured another drug dealer is behind bars.

“Despite his claims that he was purely acting as a courier, there was clear evidence that Scott was himself running a drug dealing operation and appeared to think little of carrying this out in the presence of a young child.

"I’m grateful to everyone involved for their work in bring him to justice.”

If you have concerns about drug crime and anti-social behaviour in your neighbourhood you can contact police by visiting the Hertfordshire Police website or by calling 101.