Woking man behind bars after being found in the possession of cocaine

A man from Woking has been jailed, after he was found in possession of cocaine, two mobile phones and cash.

On Wednesday, 18 September, two off duty officers were on their way into work when they noticed a car parked on the side of Broomhall Road, Woking. Their suspicions were initially raised because the road has parking restrictions which require you to have a permit to park there.

They saw a man, Zahria Munteanu, sitting in the driver seat with two mobile phones. When the officers approached Munteanu, he informed them he was supposed to be meeting someone called ‘Jamie’, who he had met in a pub once before. The officers were not satisfied with his story, so he was detained under Section 23, of the Misuse of Drugs Act, allowing the officers to search his car.

PC Sarah Wentworth, who was one of the off duty officers said: “When myself and PC Webb searched the car, we found nine sealed bags of what we believed to be cocaine under the rear passenger floor mat. We arrested him on suspicion of possession of false documentation with improper intent, possession with intent to supply Class A controlled substance, driving otherwise in accordance with a licence and driving without third party insurance.

“A week later, after providing us with a false address, we carried out a search of Munteanu’s property. During the search we found more cash, and bags of white powder, believed to be cocaine. The reason we managed to find his correct address was because another tenant at the property he was living in, had reported him as a missing person.

“We were on our way into work when we noticed the car, which straight away rang alarm bells. It just goes to show that as officers, we are never off duty. We hope this result shows the community that their intelligence can really help us, and that by remaining vigilant, you can notice suspicious activities. My advice would be to trust your instincts, and if you really feel something is not right, call 101 (or 999 in an emergency), because that phone call could really go a long way in helping us crack down on drug dealing.”

On Thursday, 17 October, Zahria Munteanu, 20-years-old, of Vale Farm Road, Woking, appeared at Guildford Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled drug of class A with intent and possessing criminal property.

He was sentenced to the following:

• 33 months imprisonment
• £181 surcharge
• Order under s.143 Powers of Criminal Courts Act 2000 – forfeiture of VW Passat
• Order under s.142 Powers of Criminal Courts Act 2000 – forfeiture of money (
• Order under s.27 Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 – forfeiture/destruction/disposal of 4 sim cards, Samsung mobile, Huawei mobile, drugs

What are the signs of potential drug dealing?

- Lots of visitors, who don’t stay very long, arriving at all times of the day and night

- People waiting in cars outside particular properties exchanging small packets or cash

- Lots of visitors bringing items such as T.V's or bikes but leaving empty handed

- Lone/vulnerable neighbours suddenly having groups of young men living at their address.

What we want to know

- Time, date and place

- Vehicle registrations and the make, model and colour

- Descriptions of people and details of what they were doing

- Direction they travelling to and from

- How many times you have seen them – is it always at the same time of day?

Don’t put yourself at risk while gathering this information. Please always pass the information to the police and do not confront or approach suspected drug dealers.