Leeds drug dealers jailed after car handbrake cocaine stash found

Two drug dealers have been jailed after police found bags of cocaine hidden in a coat lining and a car handbrake.

Angel Angelov and Tsonko Peev, both 25 and from Leeds, were twice stopped by officers in Harrogate in November and December 2022.

Police said Angelov was found with 26 bags of cocaine in a mint tin, 20 in his coat and a further 11 bags hidden in the handbrake.

Both pleaded guilty to drugs offences at York Crown Court on 3 January.

Angelov, of no fixed address, was jailed on Tuesday for five years and three months after admitting two counts of possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Peev was handed a 27-month custodial sentence for one count of the same offence.

North Yorkshire Police said the prosecutions came as a result of the force's Operation Expedite.

The pair, who had been travelling to Harrogate in a vehicle, were first stopped on 10 November when the driver, Angelov, was found with a lock knife and 26 bags of the class A drug in a tin.

Their vehicle was stopped again on 5 December when Angelov was found with more drugs.

PC George Frost, from the Operation Expedite team, said: "Dealers like Angelov and Peev seek to exploit the vulnerabilities of users and their addictions for their own selfish financial gain.

"The effects of drug dealing and drug use are felt far and wide, leading to violence, anti-social behaviour and acquisitive crime.

"I hope the people of Harrogate and wider North Yorkshire feel reassured by the result of the investigation and the jail sentences."

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