Ipswich man jailed after being found with £15K of cocaine

Olkedi Lika, of Wherstead Road, in Ipswich, was sentenced in court on Monday to 31 months imprisonment.

The 26-year-old was stopped on August 31 on Franciscan Way by Suffolk Constabulary’s South Sentinel team.

Olkedi Lika was sentenced to 31 months imprisonment (Image: Suffolk Police) Upon being stopped Lika provided an image of his driving licence with his name and photograph, but officers suspected it was false and he was detained for a search.

Investigations led to evidence of his involvement in the supply of Class A drugs. 

Lika gave officers a false address, but the Wherstead Road address was located and officers found approximately 0.5 kilograms of cocaine worth about £15,000, individual deals of cocaine, drug dealing paraphernalia and £6,781 in cash.

Lika was arrested and questioned, later being charged with possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession of criminal property, possession of an identification document with intent, driving without insurance, driving without a licence and was remanded on custody.

He pleaded guilty to all offences at Ipswich Crown Court and was sentenced to 31 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to supply cocaine with concurrent sentences of six months for both the criminal property and counterfeit document offences.

Rob Ostler, an investigator within the Sentinel South team, said: “In just over six weeks, with valuable assistance from a number of teams across the constabulary, a drug dealer was charged, remanded, convicted and sentenced, while half a kilogram of cocaine was removed from our streets along with £6,871 which was the proceeds of Lika’s criminal activity.

“This is a great result and further proof that the Sentinel Team is actively targeting those trying to profit from organised crime in the Ipswich area.”

The cash was forfeited under Section 27 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, alongside his vehicle.