Albanian drug dealer spared prison due to partner's health and overcrowding

Urim Morina, a 27-year-old Albanian national, has been handed a suspended sentence after pleading guilty to supplying cocaine through a county lines gang and possessing a document with a false name. While facing a total prison term of two years and four months, Judge James Bromige at Winchester Crown Court suspended the sentence for three years.

The judge cited several mitigating factors for the decision, including the need to address prison overcrowding in the United Kingdom and the personal circumstances of Morina’s partner, who suffers from depression and fibromyalgia. The court heard that Morina provided essential domestic support, such as cooking, cleaning, and transporting his partner to medical appointments.

Morina had originally entered the UK using a false identity. Police investigations following a raid in March revealed evidence of an 18-month period of cocaine supply. In addition to the suspended sentence, Morina was ordered to complete 175 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation.