Man jailed after police dog discovers £48K concealed in car stopped near Leamington

A man has been jailed after a police dog discovered £48,000 concealed in his vehicle which was stopped near Leamington.

Bernard Morinaj, 23, of Cordin View, Coventry appeared at Coventry Magistrates Court on Monday December 8, where he pleaded guilty to possession of criminal property.

On November 13, officers from the Warwickshire Police Operational Patrol Unit and the Dog Unit stopped Morinaj’s car on the A46 near Leamington as the vehicle was believed to be linked to criminal activity.

Officers detained Morinaj while Police Dog Rufus, a drugs, cash and firearms search dog searched the car and discovered £48,000 in cash concealed within the vehicle.

Morinaj was sentenced to 15 months in prison, ordered to pay a victim surcharge and made to forfeit the seized cash.

PD Rufus’ dog handler, PC Deeming said: “Thanks to the help of PD Rufus, Morinaj has been convicted of his offences. This is a great example of how our dogs help officers to catch criminals and bring them to justice.”