A SHOEBOX packed with more than £40,000 cash was found hidden inside a car belonging to a murdered drug dealer, a court heard today.

The box was packed with notes and was tucked away inside the boot of a second car, a grey Mondeo, belonging to Agim Hoxha. Inside, a quantity of cocaine and heroin were also found, the court was told.

The vehicle wasn’t recovered by police until eight days after the 29-year-old’s charred remains were found in his burnt out silver Mercedes coupe on a remote Chilworth road.

It had been parked in Wilton Road, Shirley, not far from flat 285b Shirley Road where prosecutors say Mr Hoxha was killed he previous evening before his body was bundled into the rear footwell of his car and later torched.

Jurors at Winchester Crown Court have heard how it is impossible to say exactly how Mr Hoxha died but they believe his killers were Arben Lleshi, 25, who began renting the property that day, and his next door neighbour and acquaintance Afrim Lleshi, 36.

Pictures were shown to the court of the inside of the one bedroom property, which is accessed from a front door on Shirley Road.

Inside forensic investigators found footprints they say were from a pair of flip flops belonging to Afrim and traces of blood matching that of the victim.

Afrim Lleshi, of Shirley Road and Arben Lleshi of Onslow Road, both deny murder.

Arben denies a second charge of perverting the course of justice by being concerned in the removal of Mr Hoxha’s body, taking it to Chilworth and setting it alight and also cleaning traces of blood from the crime scene.

As reported earlier today, Afrim Lleshi has pleaded guilty to the secondary charge.

Proceeding