Drug dealer found asleep in his car with £30k of cocaine jailed

Marc Nelder (44) was sat in the driver’s seat of his Volkswagen Tiguan when officers spotted him parked in Peer Road, St Neots, in the early hours of the morning on March 25 last year.

As the officers got out of their vehicle, Nelder awoke and took the keys out of the ignition. Officers noticed his speech was heavily slurred and there was a strong smell of alcohol on his breath.

When asked what he was doing there, Nelder replied, saying he had “just dropped a mate off” and went on to say he had drank about three glasses of wine a few hours ago, despite there being two empty bottles of vodka in the car.

A roadside breath test confirmed he was over the limit and he was arrested for being drunk in charge of a vehicle.

As he was arrested, officers searched the vehicle and found five bags of cocaine worth up to £30,000.

They also found almost £10,000 in bank notes, digital scales and a mobile phone with messages that indicated Nelder was dealing cocaine.

After he was arrested, Nelder’s house was searched and officers found bags of cannabis, debt sheets, cash, deal bags covered in a white residue and a money counter.

In custody, Nelder of Sandwich Road, St Neots, admitted being drunk in charge of a vehicle, but initially refused to comment on the drug offences.

Nelder later admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply and was jailed for three years last week on Monday at Cambridge Crown Court.

DC Paul Evans said: “The scale of Nelder’s drug dealing enterprise was staggering.

“This result has taken a large quantity of Class-A drugs off the streets of Cambridgeshire and cash out of the hands of criminals.”

Information about drug dealing can be reported via www.cambs.police.uk/report or by calling 101.