A DRUG dealer will be deported to Albania after being caught using a taxi to sell cocaine.

Lumture Spahiu was carrying 30 bags of cocaine while travelling as a passenger in a Brighton and Hove taxi.

When the cab arrived in the Bevendean area, another man got in for a short time and a suspected deal took place.

Officers from Sussex Police identified the taxi minutes later and stopped it at the traffic lights in Lewes Road.

Spahiu got out of the vehicle and attempted to run away, but was quickly tackled by the specialist enforcement unit.

He was found with grip seal bags containing cocaine hidden in cigarette boxes, along with cash in his trousers and a burner phone.

The Argus:

Officers took him into custody following the incident at around 8.30pm on September 25 this year.

The 27-year-old was charged with possessing a Class A drug with intent to supply.

Spahiu, of no fixed address, appeared before Lewes Crown Court on November 10, and was sentenced to 22 months in prison.

During the investigation it was also found that Spahiu is an immigration absconder, and he now faces deportation to Albania at the end of his sentence.

The drugs and phones seized by police will now be destroyed.