Joshua Zouaoui, aged 32 and of Hayes in London, was detained by an officer who witnessed him acting suspiciously in a vehicle in a car park in Bournemouth on Thursday, January 18.
He was found in possession of more than £1,700 in cash and further searches of his person found a package containing suspected class A drugs. The contents of the package was analysed and found to be heroin and crack cocaine with an estimated value between £710 and £1,800.
Joshua Zouaoui was jailed for a total of 16 years for separate offences (Image: Dorset Police)
Zouaoui was subsequently charged and found guilty following a trial of offences of possession of class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property.
He appeared at the Old Bailey in London on Friday, January 30 and was sentenced to two years in prison for the Bournemouth offences.
The defendant was also sentenced for offences in London of possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, being concerned in the supply of a class B drug and assisting an offender.
He was jailed for 14 years in total for the London offences, with the sentences to run consecutively to the Bournemouth matter, making an overall prison sentence of 16 years.
Police constable Stuart Grant, of Bournemouth police, said: “Thanks to this proactive stop we were able to identify Joshua Zouaoui as being involved in drug supply in the Bournemouth area and hold him to account for his offending.
“He was also responsible for serious offences outside of the county and this case demonstrates how those with links to criminality operate across county boundaries in the supply of illegal drugs.
“We will continue to focus on tackling the supply of drugs in our communities and would urge any members of the public with information related to drug related activity to please report it to us. Information can be reported online via the Dorset Police website or by calling 101. If a crime is in progress, always dial 999.”