Suspicious man had sock full of drugs stuffed in shorts
Ilber Gjoka has been jailed for drug offences(Image: Devon & Cornwall Police)
A judge commented on the state of Albanian healthcare – after hearing two almost identical excuses for criminals.
Drug dealer Ilber Gjoka, 30, was caught with a sock of cocaine stuffed down his shorts in Barnstaple, Exeter Crown Court heard.
He said he was selling drugs in Devon to pay for the care of his sick father in Albania.
Judge James Patrick said there must be a lot of sick people in the defendant’s homeland as that was the second case in a row involving drugs, debt and poorly parents in Albania.
“That is exactly the same as another case today,” he said. “Except that was a sick mother.”
An hour earlier Judge Patrick jailed another man, Argent Bala, for a completely unrelated offence of growing cannabis on a business park in South Brent.
“There must be a lot of sick people in Albania,” he added. “There is no National Health Service too I’m told.”
Gjoka was jailed for 20 months after admitting possessing drugs with intent to supply.
Police pulled over a BMW in Barnstaple on August 16. Gjoka was at the wheel and arrested when 11 bags of cocaine worth £407 were found in the sock. Police also seized £245 in cash from his wallet.
He told police he had taken out a loan in Albania and was dealing to pay the money back, prompting Judge Patrick to make his comments.
He said Gjoka was a man of previous good character who had admitted his crime at an early stage.
He would ordinarily serve 40 per cent of his sentence in jail but the judge said he was likely to be deported.
⚠️ Want the latest Devon breaking news and top stories first? Click here to join our WhatsApp group. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice ⚠️