A TAXI driver and his passenger have been jailed after being caught smuggling a kilogram of cocaine into Pembrokeshire. Police stopped their vehicle on the Cleddau Bridge, where the pair tried—but failed—to ditch a “bag for life” stuffed with the Class A drug.
Pajtim Meta and Albert Nikolla, both 26, were ferrying the cocaine from Northampton to Milford Haven when Dyfed-Powys Police intercepted their run as part of a wider crackdown on drug trafficking in west Wales.
Nikolla’s troubles began in June 2023 when London police spotted him behaving suspiciously in his car. A search revealed 37 wraps of cocaine worth up to £1,850.
But the duo’s real downfall came on January 18, 2024. During a routine stop near the Cleddau Bridge, Nikolla fled Meta’s taxi, discarding a bag that police recovered. Inside was a 1kg block of cocaine with a street value of up to £85,800.
Meta initially claimed he was an innocent cabbie who didn’t know Nikolla or even the area. However, ANPR records showed Meta’s taxi had made nine trips between Northampton and Milford Haven. Confronted with the evidence, he admitted transporting Nikolla but claimed he lied to avoid a long sentence.
Nikolla’s barrister, Matthew Murphy, argued his client—a trained vet from Albania—was coerced into drug dealing by the criminal network that smuggled him into the UK.
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Cabbie and passenger caged for cocaine trafficking in Pembrokeshire
