Former Ryanair and Wizz Air hostess, 27, is jailed for 28 months after turning to cocaine dealing when she lost her job during the coronavirus crisis
An air hostess has been jailed for 28 months for drug dealing after turning to crime following the loss of her job during the coronavirus crisis.
Alexandra Dobre, 27, who is thought to have worked for Ryanair and Wizz Air, had been based at London Luton Airport but was made redundant in the spring.
She began a relationship with a man she met on a dating app and moved to Staffordshire, before agreeing to deliver cocaine after becoming short of cash.
Former air hostess Alexandra Dobre, 27, is thought to have worked for Ryanair and Wizz Air
Dobre had been based at London Luton Airport but was made redundant during lockdown
Staffordshire Police then stopped her grey Fiat Punto in Stoke-on-Trent on the night of August 7 this year and found six wraps of cocaine inside her purse.
Neil Ahuja, prosecuting, told Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court: 'She was evasive with the officers about where she was living.'
Police searched a flat in Hanley and came across 81 small snap-seal bags of white powder concealed in a bedside table, which tested positive for cocaine.
Another six sealed bags of the class A substance were found. In total, the 19.4 grams had an estimated street value of between £1,740 and £2,610.
Detectives also seized £480 in cash, along with a mobile phone. Dobre pleaded guilty to possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply.
Dobre pleaded guilty to possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply
Police searched a flat in Hanley and came across 81 small snap-seal bags of white powder concealed in a bedside table, which tested positive for cocaine. Another six sealed bags of the class A substance were found. Detectives also seized £480 in cash, along with a mobile phone
Paul Cliff, defending, said she moved to Britain from Romania three years ago, adding: 'She was a flight attendant for a number of years, with different airlines.
He added: 'She was well-paid, but lost her job in spring this year and lost her accommodation as a result of that. She was at a loose end over what to do next.
'She had friends in the North Staffordshire area, one of whom was a nail and beauty technician, and came up to Stoke-on-Trent.'
He added: 'Since her arrest, he has disappeared into the ether and she has not been able to contact him. She was plainly acting under direction.
Dobre began a relationship with a man she met on an app and moved to Staffordshire
Dobre agreed to deliver cocaine in Staffordshire after becoming short of cash
'One of the terrible consequences of her offending is she will never work as a flight attendant again. It's something she loved. She is not by nature criminally minded.
'She's from a good family in Romania. She knows her family will be absolutely mortified that she has found herself involved in something of this nature.'
Sentencing her to 28 months in prison, Judge David Fletcher said she must have understood what she was doing was a crime.
He told her: 'It was a class A substance, the consumption of which causes misery. You were an important cog in that wheel of the supply of this particular drug.'
The judge told Dobre she must have understood what she was doing was a crime
Dobre was described as an 'important cog in that wheel of the supply of this particular drug'
After the case, Sergeant Marc Proctor, of Stoke South Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: 'We welcome the sentence Dobre has been handed by the courts.
'Drugs can cause a huge amount of disruption to the community and we are committed to tackling this behaviour.
'We would urge everyone to report drug matters to us. Let's work together and deter this behaviour from continuing.'
Dobre has posted a number of glamorous photographs on her Instagram page including some of her posing next to planes in her uniform and sitting on the beach.