A Teddington man who claimed £4000 worth of cannabis found his car was for self-medicating, personal use has been found guilty of drug-dealing.

Salman Ahmed, 23, of Down Road, was found guilty of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs and given a one year suspended sentence after police found a drug-filled holdall in the back of his vehicle.

Safer Neighbourhood Officers executed a warrant on his address in November 2017, searching his property.

After nothing was found inside the house, officers turned their attention to his vehicle.

Despite Ahmed's attempts to block the police search, officers immediately found a holdall on the backseat containing a large quantity of cannabis, which Ahmed admitted belonged to him.

After his arrest, a further search revealed 100 small bags of cannabis, eight pots of cannabis, several large bags of cannabis, a quantity of cocaine and weighing scales.

At his trial at Kingston Crown Court in May 2019, Mr Ahmed claimed the £4000 worth of cannabis was all for self-medicating, personal use. After just an hour of deliberation, the jury found him guilty of possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.

Yesterday, Salman Ahmed returned to court for sentencing. He received a 1 year custodial sentence (suspended for two years) and 200 hours of community service.

PC Bryce Scott-Jones, Dedicated Ward Officer for Teddington Ward, said “We are committed to robustly tackling drug offences and its associated anti-social behaviour.

"I hope this conviction reassures our residents that action is, and continues to be taken to keep the area of Teddington and Hampton Wick safe.”