Man tried to hide heroin and cocaine inside a police car in Bexhill

Officers were on patrol on Combe Valley Way in Bexhill on the afternoon of June 21, 2018, when they saw a car that was suspected of being involved in drugs activity, Sussex Police said. The black Vauxhall Astra was stopped and the driver - Tafari Grant - was told that both he and his vehicle were being searched under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

A spokesman added: “While Grant was sat in the back of the police car, one of the officers noticed he was fiddling with the seat pocket in front of him.

“The officer checked the pocket and found two Kinder Egg capsules containing wraps of what he believed to be cocaine and heroin, along with a Nokia mobile phone battery.

“When Grant was searched, officers found a Nokia phone with its battery removed, along with £140 in cash.”

The capsules were later confirmed to contain 41 wraps of crack cocaine and 29 wraps of heroin, with a combined estimated street value of £1,400, said police. Grant was arrested on suspicion of two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, and was released under investigation pending further enquiries.

The spokesman said: “The ensuing investigation found damning evidence against Grant, including his DNA on the capsules containing the drugs, and messaging on his mobile phone referring to the sale and distribution of drugs.

“However, when he was invited back to the police station to be interviewed about the results of the drug examinations, police were told he had flown abroad to the US and Canada to attend family funerals.

“Further investigation work found Grant had actually absconded to Jamaica. He was arrested on his return to the United Kingdom, nearly 18 months after the initial arrest, and was put before the court.

“Grant, 45, a chef, of New Barns Avenue, Mitcham, pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs. He was sentenced on Friday (July 10) to three years’ imprisonment for each offence, to run concurrently. His car and drugs were also seized.”

Investigating officer Detective Constable Julian Stokes added: “Grant tried to deceive police from the beginning, hiding his stash of drugs inside the police car.

“Even after his arrest, he tried to evade police by absconding to Jamaica. However, while he hoped we may have forgotten about him, we certainly did not and we were waiting to arrest him on his return back into the country.

“This was a great stop by police officers on patrol that has resulted in almost £1,500 worth of dangerous drugs being taken off our streets and destroyed.”