This is the moment CCTV footage exposed a drug dealer hiding 28 bags of cocaine in his car bonnet. A silver Skoda driven by Joshua Allegretto, 31, was seen in Bridgend in the early hours of the morning pulling up at Highland Place, where he used an elaborate trick to hide the illegal substances.
Local CCTV footage captured the moment the defendant, of Heol Glannant, Bettws, opened the bonnet and removed a Lynx deodorant can from underneath the air filter. He was then seen removing items from the Lynx can and sitting back in the driver's seat.
At this point two unknown people approach the car and are seen to pay Allegretto with a bank card in return for a bag containing white powder. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
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Officers traced the car that evening and detained Allegretto for a search. 28 bags of cocaine were found in the Lynx can that was hidden in the bonnet during the incident on Saturday, October 28.
Allegretto was arrested and charged with being concerned in the supplying of controlled class A drugs. He pleaded guilty at trial in Cardiff Crown Court on January 25 and has since been sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
South Wales Police detective inspector Ian Jones said: “Joshua Allegretto's brazen behaviour in this case highlights how drug dealers think they can openly and illegally operate in our communities. We will continue to tackle illegal drug supply and relentlessly pursue those committing offences.”
Last month, a court heard that a crack dealer was keeping a stash of drugs under the kitchen sink in the house where his partner and baby lived. Keiron Smith was caught after plain-clothes police operating in Swansea saw a suspected drugs deal being carried out from his Audi car.
