A drug dealer has been sentenced after he was pulled over on the A14 in Suffolk with almost £20,000 worth of cannabis concealed in his Mercedes.

Kacanik Gjocaj, 31, of High Road Leyton in east London, was pulled over by the police on February 2, 2019.

Whilst in the process of removing his belongings from the car, the police discovered a carrier bag which smelled strongly of cannabis on the back street, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

When asked what was in the bag, Gjocaj said: “Not good, not good.”

A further search uncovered cannabis in three separate packages totalling around 1.9kg – with a value estimated at just shy of £20,000. A bundle of cash totalling £780 was also discovered.

In September 2020, Gjocaj appeared at Suffolk Magistrates' Court.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges of possession of cannabis with the intent to supply in Higham, being concerned in the production of cannabis and possessing criminal property, relating to the £780.

However, when he appeared at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, the court heard that Gjocaj had since pleaded guilty to all three offences.

The defence counsel representing Gjocaj told the court that his life had “moved on” since 2019.

The court heard he had not been in trouble with the law since his arrest, and was now working in construction. He had also married two and a half years ago, with his wife joining him in the courtroom.

Recorder Richard Conley told Gjocaj that the delay in his sentencing rested “squarely on [his] shoulders”.

“He knew full well when he was pulled over that those drugs were his, and he told a pack of lies in his defence,” he said.

He also said he “strongly suspected” that there were parts of Gjocaj’s involvement in drugs which would never come to light, given that he possessed a “detailed knowledge of how to cultivate cannabis”, such as temperature control and irrigation.

Gjocaj was given a 16-month sentence suspended for 18 months for the charges of possession of cannabis with the intent to supply and being concerned in the production of cannabis.

For the charge of possessing criminal property, he was handed a sentence of six months, also suspended for 18 months, to be served concurrently.

He was also ordered to undertake 200 hours of unpaid work within the community.