A drug dealer has been jailed after a police chase led to the discovery of cocaine worth £400,000.

Arian Aliaj, 36, of Freshfields Drive, Southgate, endangered lives as he evaded officers in an Audi A6, after they had signalled for him to pull over on the M1 near junction 15 on March 22.

Police later found the car abandoned near Rugby, in Warwickshire, with three kilograms of cocaine lying nearby and one kilogram in the boot - worth an estimated £400,000.

Just hours later, a joint squad of National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police investigators spotted a black BMW travelling on the M40 slip road at junction 9 - with Aliaj inside.

Times Series:

Cocaine worth £400,000 was found in a car and near the car. Photo:SWNS

The car was stopped and officers arrested the driver and the runaway crook before searching his home in Southgate.

The BMW driver was later released under investigation after the arrests.

Officers found more cocaine, drugs paraphernalia and almost £4,000 in cash at Aliaj’s home.

He was sentenced to seven and a half years at Warwick Crown Court on Friday, after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and dangerous driving.

Times Series:

Arian Aliaj. Photo: SWNS

Matthew McMillan, of the Metropolitan Police’s Organised Crime Partnership, said: “Not only was Aliaj involved in endangering people through the criminal supply of drugs, he was willing to recklessly risk the lives of road users in a bid to evade arrest.

“Through the OCP's work with local police forces, we were able to seize this cocaine before it made it onto the streets.

He added: “Class A drugs are always linked to serious and organised crime and their supply relies on exploitation, violence and intimidation that harms people across the UK.

“Despite the current lockdown, the NCA and Met Police are not letting up our efforts to tackle serious and organised crime and protect the public.”