Man arrested with £3,000 worth of drugs in Hastings is jailed

Broli Martin, from Palmerston Road, Enfield, unemployed, was arrested on Monday, March 5, with £2,000 worth of crack cocaine and £1,000 worth of heroin, police said.

He was seen behaving suspiciously at Hastings railway station and later observed to be discarding items in Warrior Square, St Leonards-on-Sea, which were found to be drugs wraps, according to police.

Having been charged and bailed, Martin was then further arrested by Thames Valley Police for similar offences, a police spokesman said.

Good co-operation between the two forces and British Transport Police led to his prosecution.

Both cases were heard by Her Honour Judge Emma Nott at Reading Crown Court, police confirmed.

Martin pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for the Hastings offences and 2.5 years for the Thames Valley offences, the sentences to run concurrently, police said.

Save for his guilty pleas and other mitigating circumstances, Martin was told he might have expected a minimum of five years in jail, according to police.

The court ordered destruction of all drugs seized.

Chief Inspector Steve Curry, Hastings and Rother district police commander, said later: “I’ve previously made it clear that drug abuse will not be tolerated in Hastings and Rother, and I hope this case shows that anyone disregarding that warning can expect to be rigorously dealt with.”