A SOUTHAMPTON man caught with more than £200,000 in cash and a haul of drugs has been locked up.

Ahmed Haji has been sent down for eight years and six months.

The 26-year-old was pulled over by police along with three other men in silver Ford Fiesta Zetec in Granville Street, Southampton.

Officers had suspected a drug deal was taking place and following a search, they found a quantity of class A drugs and cash.

They then raided a property in Anglesea Terrace, Southampton, where they found heroin, crack cocaine, cash and high-value designer clothing.

According to police, the drugs had a total street value of around £111,680.

Meanwhile, the cash they seized amounted to total of £206,135.

Haji, of Anglesea Terrace, Southampton, was charged with two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs, heroin and crack cocaine and one money laundering offence.

He pleaded guilty to the offences which relate to an incident on March 22 this year.

Appearing before Southampton Crown Court this week, he was jailed for eight years and six months.

Speaking about the case, Detective Constable Dan Lines said: “This is an excellent result following a proactive stop and search by officers from Southampton’s High Harm team who were out patrolling the Granville Road area.

“Drugs supply is often connected to other offending, such as high levels of violence or even the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable adults and children, which is why we take a tough stance on drug dealing.

“Tackling drugs and associated crime remains a priority in Southampton and I hope this case reassures our communities that we continue to disrupt those involved in drug related crime and keep people safe.”