Asylum Seeker Caught With Cocaine After Speeding Away From Police Walks Out Of Court Smiling, Then Sends A Message To The British Public

Mohammad Alturk, a 39-year-old asylum seeker, was caught with eight wraps of cocaine after police stopped him while he was driving a BMW in Rayleigh, Essex.

Despite the serious circumstances surrounding his arrest, Alturk later walked out of Basildon Crown Court with a £120 fine after admitting possession of cocaine and driving without insurance.

Outside the court, Alturk appeared relaxed and even smiled as he gave a thumbs-up to people nearby. He then said: “All the best for all British! Love!”

The case began on December 4 last year when police noticed Alturk driving a BMW 3 Series late at night. Officers became suspicious after checking the vehicle and discovering that Alturk was not insured to drive it.

Police then watched as he drove along Crown Hill towards London Road. According to the court, his driving appeared “erratic” and he suddenly turned right into Down Hall Road without indicating.

Officers decided to stop the car, but Alturk did not pull over. Instead, the court heard that he accelerated away while police were following with their lights and sirens switched on.

As he tried to get away, officers saw him throw a plastic bag out of the car window.

The bag was later recovered and found to contain eight separate wraps of cocaine. One of the wraps had already been opened and used.

Alturk was eventually stopped after driving into a cul-de-sac, leaving him with nowhere else to go.

When officers questioned him, Alturk admitted that the drugs belonged to him. He told police that he had bought the cocaine for £500 and claimed it was for his personal use.

He said that at the time he had been using around two or three wraps every day.

The court also heard that this was not the first time Alturk had been stopped in circumstances involving suspected drugs.

Around two months before the Rayleigh incident, he had been stopped in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Police initially suspected that he could be involved in supplying drugs, but the matter was eventually dealt with as simple possession.

That earlier case ended with a community resolution, meaning Alturk was not formally charged.

Alturk originally comes from Jordan and arrived in the UK in July 2024. The court heard that his asylum application had been “frozen” while the legal case was being dealt with.

The court was also told that he now lives in Hinckley, Leicestershire, although he was living in Southend at the time of the incident.

During Thursday’s hearing on August 20, Alturk pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and driving without insurance.

He appeared in court without a lawyer and explained that he had been struggling with stress and poor mental health when he started using drugs.

Alturk told the judge that he had believed taking drugs would help him deal with what he was going through, but said the opposite happened.

He explained that the drug use made him ill and affected his sleep, saying: “I couldn’t sleep.”

Alturk told the court that he had now stopped using cocaine and was no longer taking drugs.

Recorder Suki Daddha took his explanation into account when dealing with the case. The judge fined him £120 for the offences.

Alturk was also ordered to pay a statutory court surcharge of £48.

The case has attracted attention because of the unusual scenes outside court, where Alturk appeared to show his support for Britain immediately after receiving his sentence. His comments about loving the UK came after the court had heard details of his drug possession, uninsured driving and attempt to avoid police.

Although the court heard that he had previously been suspected of drug dealing, Alturk was ultimately dealt with for possession rather than supplying cocaine. His previous Oxfordshire incident also did not result in a criminal charge.

The sentence means that, for the cocaine possession offence in this case, Alturk avoided a prison sentence and was instead given a financial penalty.