From Bournemouth Car Park to the Old Bailey: How a Dorset Drug Stop Unravelled a 16-Year Criminal Career
What began as a routine police stop in a Bournemouth car park has ended with a 32-year-old drug dealer being handed a combined 16-year prison sentence at the Old Bailey, exposing how street-level drug dealing in Dorset can be tied to far more serious criminality elsewhere.
Joshua Zouaoui, 32, of Hayes in London, was stopped by a police officer on Glen Fern Road, Bournemouth, on Thursday, 18 January 2024, after being seen acting suspiciously in a vehicle parked in a residential car park. That brief intervention would prove pivotal.
Officers found Zouaoui in possession of more than £1,700 in cash. A further search uncovered a package containing Class A drugs. Subsequent analysis confirmed the substances to be heroin and crack cocaine, with an estimated street value of between £710 and £1,800.
Zouaoui was charged with possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. Following a trial, he was found guilty and appeared at the Old Bailey in London on Friday, 30 January 2026, where he was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for the Bournemouth offences.
But the Dorset drug stop did not stand alone.
The court also sentenced Zouaoui for a catalogue of serious offences committed in London, including possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, being concerned in the supply of a Class B drug, and assisting an offender. For those crimes, he was jailed for 14 years.
The sentences were ordered to run consecutively, bringing Zouaoui’s total prison term to 16 years.
Police Constable Stuart Grant, of Bournemouth Police, said the case demonstrated how local policing can expose wider criminal networks operating across county lines.
“Thanks to this proactive stop, we were able to identify Joshua Zouaoui as being involved in drug supply in the Bournemouth area and hold him to account for his offending,” he said.
“He was also responsible for serious offences outside of the county and this case demonstrates how those with links to criminality operate across county boundaries in the supply of illegal drugs.”
Dorset Police said the case underlined the importance of routine patrols and stop-and-search powers in disrupting drug supply and uncovering wider organised crime.
Officers urged anyone with information about drug-related activity to report it via the Dorset Police website or by calling 101. In an emergency or if a crime is in progress, the public should always dial 999.
