North East cocaine courier and cannabis dealer jailed

William Hunter (left) and Gentjan Kaloti supplied cocaine and cannabis

A cocaine courier and a cannabis dealer who supplied drugs with a street value of £190,000 to a crime group have been jailed.

William Hunter and Gentjan Kaloti were caught after police infiltrated their encrypted messages.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Hunter was given a sentence of eight years and one month after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Kaloti was jailed for seven years having admitted conspiring to supply.

The drugs plot also involved cocaine dealer David Borley, of Killingworth, North Tyneside, who was last month jailed for 19 years.

Northumbria Police said it had started putting a case together against Borley and his associates in 2020 and uncovered messages sent from Kaloti's encrypted device in which he referred to himself as Alboss - the head of an Albanian crime group.

Officers established Kaloti, of Brettanby Road, in Felling, Gateshead, had helped supply Borley's associates with 45kg of cannabis.

Police said a search of another Gateshead property uncovered £169,000 in cash as well as several vehicles destined for the West Midlands.

Messages revealed Kaloti had co-ordinated the operation.

Police recovered bundles of cash during their searches

A network of drugs couriers included Hunter, who had provided transport to deliver shipments of cocaine.

The 53-year-old had also stored £20,000 in cash at his home in Westgate Road, Newcastle.

Det Ch Insp Marc Michael welcomed the pair's sentences, saying: "Organised crime affects our communities in many ways and none of them are for the better.

"It is only right we keep bringing people like Kaloti and Wood before the courts."