A man has been jailed for 10 years after police discovered a gun and more than £1million worth of cocaine in his Ilford home.
Muhamet Qosja was sentenced today - Thursday June 10 - at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
Qosja, 29, was first arrested last October by officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP) - a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police unit.
A stop and search of his car on Melbourne Road uncovered £23,000 in cash hidden in a compartment behind the dashboard.
Further searches of his Valentines Road home led to the discovery of a handgun with 20 rounds of ammunition and five one-kilo blocks of cocaine hidden in bags beneath a child’s cot.
Another six kilos of cocaine and drugs paraphernalia were found in laundry bags.
The drugs were estimated to have a total street value in the region of £1.1 million.
Qosja pleaded guilty to firearms, drugs and money laundering charges last year.
He also told officers he had actively sought work as a drug dealer since moving to the UK in 2014 and had been living illegally since his arrival from Albania.
Detective Chief Inspector Mark Brookes, from the OCP, said: “Qosja was motivated by financial gain; however, I hope today's sentence acts as a clear warning and deterrent for anyone considering criminality as an alternative career path.
“The OCP is dedicated to protecting the public by reducing the availability of firearms and disrupting the supply of drugs at all stages.”
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