FOUR men have been jailed for their roles in Class A drug trafficking in Wokingham.
Yousef Zayadi, 35, Nabeel Asghar, 24, Adem Alpar, 20, and Rinor Mehmetaj, 27, were sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Thursday (June 8) after being charged with conspiring and/or possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.
The court heard that a ‘cutting house’ had been set up in Fishponds Road in Wokingham with Zayadi as the ‘key figure’ and Alpar as the ‘trusted lieutenant’.
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Alpar was described as the ‘middle market customer’ and Mehmataj was caught as a ‘courier’ on one occasion as well as driving without a licence.
Opening the case, prosecutor Ben King said police raided the Wokingham property in December last year after police had been supervising the building to see who was coming and going.
Inside, officers found 1.2kg of cocaine, a blank firing pistol, cutting equipment, a large quantity of cash, two large hunting knives, a machete, a lock knife and shotgun cartridges.
Mehmataj was observed on one occasion receiving a package from Alpar. He was later stopped by police and cocaine was found under his spare wheel.
The men were subsequently arrested and were due to stand trial. Both Zayadi and Alpar were charged with additional counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a private place.
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Before trial however, Alpar pleaded guilty on January 16 and Ashgar pleaded guilty on March 23.
Zayadi and Mehmetaj pleaded guilty on the second days of their trial but before a jury was sworn.
Sentencing the men, Judge Nicholas Wattam said: “Clearly, all four of you are where you are because you have been concerned in drug trafficking and dealing with Class As drugs.
“This is a trade and activity which causes untold harm and misery in our community and you all engaged in this activity for financial gain – for money.
“So an immediate custodial sentence is inevitable.”
Zayadi, of Frances Dove Close in High Wycombe, was sentenced to 90 months – seven years and six months – imprisonment.
Alpar, of Ambrook Road in Reading, was sentenced to 54 months – four years and six months – imprisonment.
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Ashgar, of Woodley in Reading, was sentenced to 45 months – three years and nine months – imprisonment.
Mehmataj, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to 34 months – two years and 10 months – imprisonment. As he is a foreign national, he is liable to automatic deportation once he has served his sentence.
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