Man jailed for drug offences – M40 nr Bicester

Following an investigation by Thames Valley Police, a man has been jailed for drug offences on the M40 near Bicester.

Mark Hadi, aged 40, of Ashford Road, Eastbourne, was sentenced to seven years and six months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug of class A, namely cocaine, at Oxford Crown Court on Friday (8/9).

At around 11.30am on 9 August, officers stopped a car on the M40 close to junction 9, Bicester, due to its excessive speed and dangerous manner of driving.

A vehicle search was conducted under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act and 10kg of cocaine was located inside his vehicle with an approximate street value of £1 million.

Hadi was arrested on 9 August and was charged the following day.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Beck Hurley-Brydon of the Serious Organised Crime Unit, said: “Hadi travelled into the Thames Valley with a significant quantity of class A drugs.

“Thanks to the due diligence of our roads policing officers and utilisation of police stop and search powers, we have been able to take a significant amount of drugs off the streets.

“I hope this sends a message to those that travel through the Thames Valley that our officers are relentless and will deal robustly with those bringing criminality into our area.”

AP