OXFORD, UK — A man caught with £50,000 worth of cannabis and smaller amounts of cocaine and ketamine has been sentenced in absentia to four years in prison after failing to appear at court during the final stages of his trial.
Hasi, an Albanian national who has lived in Oxford since he was 16, vanished on March 24, the penultimate day of his trial. A warrant has been issued for his arrest after he breached bail conditions by absconding. His defense was drawing to a close when he failed to return, prompting the court to resume proceedings in his absence the next day.
During the trial at Oxford Crown Court, Judge Nigel Daly concluded that Hasi was involved in a street-level drug supply operation, stating, “This is not just a case where someone has been asked to look after something… this is an operation of street supply.”
Police discovered the drugs and over £4,500 in cash at a house Hasi had just moved into on Temple Road on August 1. Judge Daly said the amounts of cocaine and ketamine could have been for personal use, but since Hasi denied ownership, he ruled they were likely intended for supply.
Although sentencing included four years’ imprisonment to be served concurrently, Judge Daly deferred sentencing for Hasi’s bail breach, saying he would consider that upon Hasi’s eventual arrest.
