Klejdi Kazani, a convicted London firearms supplier, has been sentenced to five additional years in prison after being caught selling £1 million worth of cocaine. The 24-year-old Albanian national was initially jailed for seven years in May 2022 after being apprehended with a self-loading pistol and ammunition while driving on the M1 in Hertfordshire in August 2021.

Evidence retrieved from Kazani’s phone revealed that he had supplied nearly 14 kilograms of cocaine and cannabis to multiple associates in the weeks leading up to his arrest. This evidence led to his admission of drug and money laundering offences in October.

During the investigation, officers found £20,000 in cash concealed between the fridge and a chest of kitchen drawers at Kazani’s residence, along with a quantity of herbal cannabis.

Kazani and his crime group, comprised of fellow Albanians and a Bulgarian national, were investigated by officers from London’s Organised Crime Partnership, a collaboration between the National Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police Service. Kazani’s accomplices, including Emil Spasov, were also convicted of drug offences.

Spasov, who transported 6.1 kilograms of cocaine across nine trips, was involved in handling £148,000 in cash, profits from the drug dealing. He was sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

Other members of the crime group, Olklen Perzhilla, Ervis Axhami, and Mariklen Bello, were sentenced to varying prison terms for their roles in delivering cocaine to addresses in Brighton and London.

Detective Chief Inspector Ben Mahoney, from the Organised Crime Partnership, highlighted the risks associated with drug dealing, emphasizing that the drugs supplied by Kazani’s group could have fueled violence and other criminal activities in affected communities.

Mahoney emphasized the strong partnership between the NCA and Met Police in dismantling crime groups involved in the drug trade, reaffirming their commitment to protecting the public from such threats.