News

Warning goes out to area's drug dealers

By Tim Harris
January 17, 2013

POLICE have issued a warning about the consequences of dealing banned substances, after a number of men and women were jailed for a drugs conspiracy in Farnborough.

It follows the end of a recent Hampshire Police operation to quash the supply of Class A drugs in the Farnborough area.

Detective Constable Ian Cullen of Aldershot CID confirmed the operation had been active for many months, with much hard work and effort invested by the police.

Three people from Farnborough and several men and woman from outside the area were all given prison sentences at Winchester Crown Court on January 14. Kerrie Peters, 30, of Cripley Road, Farnborough, was sent to prison for three years for conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

Thirty-eight-year-old Steven Brown, of Whetstone Road, Farnborough, was sent to prison for eight months for possession with intent to supply a Class A drug while Heather Macalpine, 64, of Victoria Road, Farnborough, was sentenced to 24 months in prison, suspended for two years, with a supervision order, for conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

Det Con Cullen said: “Obviously this now sends out a message to those who take part in this activity that if they are found to be in operations of this type in the north-east Hampshire and Surrey area, the consequences and result will be a long and lengthy custodial sentence.”

Det Con Cullen described how there was an ongoing problem with people travelling from other areas, often London, to supply Class A drugs in Farnborough and the surrounding area.

He said the type of drugs in question were often heroin and crack cocaine.

“Because of where we are geographically based and because of the volume of drugs in London, we find that splinter groups come out to north-east Hampshire where there is not as much competition,” he continued.

Javian Gordon, 22, of Urswick Road, Hackney, and Joshua White, 23, of Eaton House, London, were both sentenced this week to seven years and four months in prison for two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, and the sentences will run concurrently.

Nathan Thomas, 20, of Rifle Street, London, was ordered to complete a three-year detention and training order for possession with intent to supply cocaine, and a two-year detention and training order for acquiring, using and possessing criminal property, with the sentences to run concurrently.

Zoe Baker, 20, of Chingford Lane, Woodford Green, Essex, was told to complete a detention and training order for three years for conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

Det Con Cullen added: “We will carry on targeting those who come into our area who deal drugs, those from London in particular. It is an ongoing problem which we actively look at all the time.

“We will never stop it, but we will always be actively dealing with it and using as many of our skills to detect it.”