An Albanian drug dealer has been told he will be deported after being caught in Aberystwyth.

Mariglen Llapushi, 27, of Fishponds Road, Eastville, Bristol, was jailed for three years told by a judge at Swansea Crown Court he would likely be deported within that time when he appeared for sentencing.

Llapushi pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, driving while banned and using a false identity document.

The court heard that Llapushi had been driving along the A487 in Aberystwyth late on 2 June when a police officer on patrol became concerned by his speed and attempted to stop him.

Llapushi abandoned the car and ran away and inside the vehicle, officers found seven bags of cocaine worth £280.

When searching for the defendant, an officer approached a taxi and in the passenger seat was Llapushi, the court heard.

When officers searched Llapushi’s phone they saw he had sent an accomplice a video of himself burying wraps of cocaine under a hedge.

Police recognised the spot in the video and when they investigated, officers found 19 wraps of cocaine with a value of £760.

The Albanian national had used fake ID to rent the car, purporting to be an Italian with a different name.

The court heard he was smuggled into the UK by gangsters who then forced him to pay them off by looking after a cannabis farm.

That offence led to Llapushi being jailed for four months in 2021.

After his release, said Mr Hartley, he was again “pressured” into dealing drugs and “felt he had little choice”.

The judge sentenced Llapushi to three years in prison and noted he would likely be deported within that time. He endorsed the defendant's driving licence with six points as he was already disqualified for three years.