Man jailed in £100K drug bust after kilogram of cocaine discovered in routine vehicle search in Kensington and Chelsea

A man has been jailed after pleading guilty to possession of a kilo of cocaine, amounting to £100,000 street value, following a routine traffic stop.

Ashley Marshall, 28, of Ladbroke Grove, was sentenced to 42 months for possession of Class A drugs, which included small packages of crack cocaine and heroin.

The court heard that at around 7.40pm on September 7, Marshall was seen driving a car erratically towards the A40 Westway in Kensington and Chelsea and was stopped by police officers.

After smelling cannabis in the car police searched the vehicle and found the drug stash underneath the driver’s seat.

Marshall was also not insured to drive the vehicle.

Inspector Al Connelly, from the Central West Area’s Violence Suppression Unit, said: “This is a good example of everyday policing where someone is stopped due to the manner of their driving.

“On this occasion, the officers’ intuition led to us seizing a sizeable amount of Class A drugs – preventing them from ending up on the streets of London.

“Drugs blight communities and ruin lives. We will continue to robustly target those who prioritise self-benefit and selfish ambition. Greed is being prioritised over community safety, those that continue in this vain will be targeted and brought to trial.