An Albanian drug dealer who was deported on his release from prison returned to the UK to play a leading role in a cocaine conspiracy.

Luiz Gjergji, 30, from Enfield, drove off when officers from the National Crime Agency moved in to arrest him, his brother, and their co-defendant.

He drove his Audi A8 car erratically out of the White Lion Retail Park car park in Dunstable with an officer trying to hold onto the door handle.

The car crashed through a hedge and crossed pavements, before ending up in the nearby Homebase car park, Luton crown court heard today.

Prosecutor Tim Probert-Wood said Gjergji tried to get away but ran into a police motorcyclist. There was a violent struggle and he was arrested.

Inside the Audi the police found a concealed compartment in the glove box, which the prosecutor said could be used to store drugs and cash.

Gjergji's brother Adriatic, 26, from West Hendon, and Julian Perry, 41, from Leighton Buzzard were arrested at the White Lion Retail park car park.

In all, 2kg of cocaine was recovered along with £42,200 at the scene. It was of a high purity of 77 per cent and could have been cut to make 6kg for sale on the street, said Mr Probert-Wood.

The prosecutor said the NCA officers were watching Luiz Gjergji's flat at Tower Point, Enfield at 8am on the morning of September 24 this year. He was seen to drive his Audi to the car park of the Old Red Lion in Houghton Regis, Bedfordshire, where he met his younger brother who was driving a VW Golf. The third defendant Julian Perry arrived in a Kia Sedona.

Observations continued and at about 1pm they were all seen again at the White Lion Retail Park in Dunstable.

Luiz Gjergji had been jailed for six years at Canterbury crown court in March 2010 for trying to smuggle £190,000 worth of heroin through Dover.

On his release on licence he was deported, but he returned to the UK where he and his brother Adriatic Gjergji, who had also entered the country illegally, became involved in the conspiracy.

Mr Probert-Wood said: "He had no immigration status. He was deported from the UK upon his release on licence from that sentence but came back."

He said he and the younger brother, who was also illegally in the UK, would be deported once their current sentence is served.

The prosecutor went on to say the brothers played a "leading role" in the conspiracy, while Perry played a "significant part."

He said: "These things don't happen spontaneously. This cannot have been the first occasion. The operation would have been running for some time. It was not a one-off. It was part of an on-going process."

Luiz Gjergji, Adriatic Gjergji and Julian Perry pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine between May 1 and September 25 this year. They also admitted transferring £42,200 worth of criminal property on September 24.

Luiz Gjergji also admitted driving the Audi A8 dangerously, two counts of possessing ammunition and two of possessing a firearm after gun parts and ammunition were found at his flat.

Adriatic Gjergji, of Mount Road, West Hendon, admitted possessing criminal property in the form of £9,500 and 51,050 Euros found at his home. He also admitted illegally possessing a Romanian passport and a Romanian driving licence that the police also recovered. A large set of scales used for weighing items up to 5 kilos were also recovered.

Julian Perry, of Church Road, Slapton, Leighton Buzzard, also admitted two charges of possessing criminal property - £1,800 cash recovered from his car and £10,570 cash found in a grey safe at his home. In addition he admitted possessing 2.41g of cannabis.

Judge Richard Foster sentenced Luiz Gjergji to 13 years, six months in prison; Adriatic Gjergji to nine years, four months, and Perry to six years, eight months.

He recommended that Adriatic Gjergji is also automatically deported at the end of his sentence, along with his brother.