Two Surrey-based drug dealers jailed for over 7 years

The men were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Friday 26th November 2021

Author: Shereen BenahmedPublished 2nd Dec 2021

Karsimir Minev, 28, of Sunray Avenue, Tolworth and Galin Zdravkov Zlatev, 30, of Curtis Road, Ewell have been sentenced to a combined total of seven years and 38 weeks’ imprisonment.

The pair were found guilty of multiple drugs offences at Guildford Crown Court last Friday (26 November).

Surrey Police arrested the two men earlier this year, in the early hours of Sunday, 4 April after reports of a suspicious white van on Wolsey Road in Esher.

Officers noticed the smell of cannabis when they approached the van with Minev surrendering a bag of cannabis along with a knuckle duster he had in his pocket.

A Section 23 Misuse of Drugs Act search was conducted and £600 was found in cash in Minev’s wallet.

Inside the vehicle, they found further cannabis and offensive weapons, including a large hunting knife.

Later when Zlatev was searched in police custody he was found to be in possession of several packages of cocaine.

Further searches were carried out at both their home addresses where large quantities of drugs were found.

Mobile phone records indicated the pair were involved in drug dealing and messages were discovered containing slang terms for illicit drugs alongside images of what they were selling.

Minev was sentenced to four years and 38 weeks imprisonment after he was found guilty of two counts of possession with intent to supply a controlled drug and being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

Zlatev was sentenced to three years imprisonment after being found guilty of possession with intent to supply cocaine and being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

Detective Constable Aaron King, who investigated the case, said: “This is a strong example of how reports from the community can directly lead to the arrest of those dealing drugs.

You might not think letting us know about a suspicious vehicle or group of individuals is important, but it all helps us build up our intelligence picture.

Our Neighbourhood Policing Teams work closely with the Criminal Investigation Department to act on intelligence and help take drug dealers like these off Surrey’s streets.”

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Greatest Hits Radio app.