Six drug dealers who had been selling cocaine across the South West of the UK have been jailed.
The group of men, including three from Gloucester, were given a combined sentence of more than 45 years behind bars for their parts in the drugs conspiracy, when they appeared at Bristol Crown Court today (Friday 30 April).
It followed an investigation by Serious and Organised Crime Unit officers in Gloucester conducting surveillance work to gather evidence against the offenders, who had been supplying quantities of cocaine into Gloucestershire and the South West.
The investigation, which impacted Gloucester, London, Hampshire, Devon and the West Midlands, lead to the recovery of 3kgs of cocaine and more than £150,000 in cash.
Two brothers, Luciano Giaquinto, aged 53, of Barton Street, Gloucester, and Andrew Giaquinto, aged 58, of Overbury Road, Gloucester, were using a London-based Albanian criminal network to buy the drugs.
On 22 April 2020, surveillance officers witnessed Luciano leave his address in the Barton area and meet with a vehicle that had travelled from London that morning. The driver of the vehicle was Anesti Koreta, a courier working with the criminal network.
Detectives later uncovered that Luciano had organised the meeting via other members of the Albanian crime group.
During this meeting, Luciano collected 1kg of cocaine, which he later dropped at his brother’s house before being see leaving with a plastic carrier bag containing £38,000.
A warrant was executed at Andrew Giaquinto’s home with officers arresting the two brothers. Much of the cocaine had been scattered around the address as the brothers had desperately tried to flush the drugs down the toilet.
Koreta, aged 42, and of Upton Road, Edmonton, was stopped as he travelled back towards London and found in possession of over £38,000.
All three were charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and later pleaded guilty.
The investigation identified that Dhimitri Gjini, aged 41, of Sandringham Road, Golders Green, had sent Anesti Koreta to meet with Luciano.
On 8 May, surveillance officers followed Gjini to Tredworth and watched as Uzair Kadodia met with him. Kadodia was carrying a bag that was later found to have contained over £60,000.
Kadodia remained in Gjini’s vehicle for a short while and then left with a different bag. Kadodia was stopped as he was about to return home and officer’s recovered 2kg of cocaine in the bag.
Gjini was stopped as he attempted to leave the county, officers found the £60,000 stuffed into the air vents of his vehicle. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and money laundering.
Detectives identified that Gjini and Koreta had been working together for some time, with Koreta being sent to Exeter, Gloucester and Aldershot to deliver cocaine. In total, 6kg of cocaine had been supplied over the five dates, with a street value of £600,000.
Further investigation identified that Dashnor Pali was key to the supply of cocaine to the Giaquinto brothers as well as to Kadodia.
Enquiries revealed that he had been deported after being sentenced in 2018 to five years imprisonment for cocaine supply. Pali had returned to the UK prior to the expiry of his sentence and was using a false name to conceal his identity.
Surveillance officers were used to identify two key locations in Stoke on Trent and Birmingham.
On 7 July 2020, officers arrested Pali for his part in the conspiracy to supply cocaine. The investigation showed that Luciano and Pali had been friends for a number of months prior to the supply of cocaine in April 2020.
Pali, aged 34, and of Highfield Road, Tipton, Birmingham later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine.
Gjini was sentenced to 10 years and six months in prison at Bristol Crown Court. Pali was handed a sentence of seven years and four months.
Luciano Giaquinto was jailed for seven years and seven months, while his brother Andrew was given seven years and six months.
Kadodia received a custodial sentence of six years and 10 months. Koreta was jailed for five years and 11 months.
Inspector Matt Phillips, of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: “We will always seek to identify and prosecute those people said to be causing the most significant harm to our communities.
“We are extremely pleased with the court result but our work will not stop there. Our commitment to our communities means that we will do our very best to bring the most serious offenders to justice.”
