Man Stopped on Westway with £100,000 Worth of Drugs


Ashley Marshall caught after being spotted driving erratically

Ashley Marshall
Ashley Marshall

A routine stop on the A40 Westway led to the discovery of £100,000 worth of Class A drugs.

Police officers spotted 28-year-old Ashley Marshall driving erratically heading towards the Westway at around 7.40pm on Monday, 7 September.

He was pulled over when he got onto the A40 and, when speaking to the driver, officers noticed a strong smell of cannabis coming from the vehicle. He was then asked to leave the vehicle and detained for a search under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

1kg of cocaine with an estimated street resale value of £80,000 to £100,000, was found underneath the driver’s seat.

Further enquiries revealed that Marshall was not insured to drive the car and he was further arrested for this offence.

Whilst being taken to custody, he told an officer that he had items in his underwear. Following a search, 14 small packages of crack cocaine (2.64g) and three packages of heroine (501mg) were recovered.

During his interview, Marshall did not respond to any questions put to him about the drugs.

He was charged on Tuesday, 8 September and pleaded guilty at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, 9 September to possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply and driving with no insurance.

Marshall ,of Ladbroke Grove, Kensington and Chelsea, was sentenced to 42 months’ imprisonment at Isleworth Crown Court on Thursday, 15 October.

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.”

 

October 22, 2020