Etmond Margjoni, 30, was trying to sell off a gambling debt

stokesentinel Administrator

06:00, 29 Jan 2026Updated 06:07, 29 Jan 2026

Etmond Margjoni

Drug dealer Etmond Margjoni sold cocaine to pay off a gambling debt. The 30-year-old Albanian national was caught with £1,200 worth of cocaine after returning to this country to clear his debt.

Now Margjoni has been jailed for 28 months at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court. And he will be deported back to his homeland after serving 40 per cent of the sentence.

Prosecutor Barry White said police saw the defendant driving a black Nissan Qashqai in Blurton on October 10. Mr White said: “He appeared to hand something to another person and drove away. On Tuesday, October 14 police again witnessed him in the same vehicle.

“He was stopped and arrested for being concerned in the supply of drugs. Officers seized an iPhone, £245 cash and 24 wraps of cocaine worth £1,200. He had no valid licence or insurance.”

Margjoni, of East Street, Stanwick, Wellingborough, pleaded guilty to possession of a class A drug with intent to supply; driving without insurance and driving without a licence.

Paul Cliff, mitigating, said: “He accrued a gambling debt when he returned to Albania. He was told to deliver drugs when orders were passed to him. It was under the clear direction of others. There was an element of intimidation. He was engaged in the supply for about two weeks.”

Judge Richard McConaghy said: “On October 14 you were seen by police in Blurton supplying drugs from a Nissan Qashqai. You were found to be in possession of 24 wraps of cocaine, £245 cash and a mobile telephone. You declined to give your pin. The value of the drugs was £1,200.

“You have not been convicted before. You came here illegally in 2022. Following a failed asylum application you returned home. You said you had accrued a gambling debt. Pressure was put upon you. You returned illegally in September last year. You tell the court pressure was put upon you to pay your gambling debt.

“As a foreign national you are liable to automatic deportation.”

The judge ordered the forfeiture of the £245.

Get all the latest news from court here