Hailsham man with £100,000 of drugs in car boot is jailed

Sussex Police say James Elliott, of Hedley Way, was caught with five large bags of powder weighing around 10kg in his boot.

The 39-year-old was stopped by police while he was driving a black Fiat Bravo in the early hours of January 9 in Hempstead Lane.

Officers had learned the vehicle Elliott was travelling in was involved in the supply of drugs, and the car had been spotted on the A22 heading southbound from East Grinstead.

Police stopped the car and, on carrying out a search, found five large bags of white powder inside a black bin liner in the boot weighing around 10kg in total, said Sussex Police. The powder was later tested and found to be Class B drug amphetamine with an estimated street value of between £51,000 and £102,000.

Elliott pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a Class B drug (amphetamine) at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on January 10.

The at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday (March 5), he was sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment and ordered to pay a £181 victim surcharge.

The drugs were destroyed and disposed of under section 27 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.