A young man from Southall has been jailed for drug and firearm offences.

Saeed Ali, 23, was sentenced to jail for seven years on Friday (October 28), more than a year after he was found in possession of Class A drugs and a loaded pistol.

Officers from the Met's Violence Suppression Unit stopped Ali in Southall Park on June 15, 2021.

The Portland Road resident fled from officers, and after "a short foot chase" he was stopped and found with large amounts of crack cocaine and heroine on his person.

A rucksack discarded by Ali during his flee was, when recovered by police officers found to contain a Grand Power G9 self-loading pistol with live ammunition.

Grand Power G9 self-loading pistol

Following a lengthy investigation Ali was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday (October 28) to a total of seven years and six months' in prison.

He pled guilty to possession of a firearm, possession of live ammunition and two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin).

Detective Constable Siobhan Burrows, of the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "This case once again illustrates the strong connection between drug supply and serious violence. This is why we will continue to bring offenders to justice and remove these extremely dangerous weapons from the streets of London.

Ammunition

"We understand the terrible impact drug supply can have, and I am pleased our investigation has resulted in a significant sentence, preventing Ali from causing further misery in our communities.

"I am confident to say the removal of this weapon as part of our investigation will have inevitably saved lives."

In a statement released today, the Met added: "We can reduce gun crime far quicker if people provide us with information about where firearms are being stored and who they are being used by. If you do not want to report to us, you can contact Crimestoppers which is anonymous and independent of police."