Overview

• Police stopped a Ford Mondeo in Southend on March 21 and found £1,195, eight wraps of cocaine and one wrap of cannabis.
• Valentin Roci pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine with intent to supply, possessing cannabis, possessing criminal property and driving without insurance or a licence.
• He was deported in 2024 after a drugs case was dropped, then told the court he returned by dinghy before his latest arrest.
• Judge Shane Collery KC said Roci held a significant role in supply, citing his prior history and lack of corroboration after he refused to unlock his phone.
• The court ordered the seized cash donated to the Essex Community Foundation and allowed police to retain the car he was driving.