Three County Lines drug cases in Hastings and Rother area: Seven arrested

In the first case, a 24-year-old drug dealer was intercepted by officers while bringing heroin and cocaine from London to Hastings.

Jack Jones and his partner Katie Albery, 31, were stopped by Sussex Police officers, working in an operation with Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police officers, in Hastings, on November 9 last year. Albery was found in possession of a dealer ‘line’ mobile phone, 40 wraps of heroin, and 111 wraps of crack cocaine, valued together at over £1,500.

Police said the pair, both from London Road, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, were sentenced at Lewes Crown Court last month. Jones was jailed for three years after pleading guilty to two counts of possessing heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply, money laundering, and driving while disqualified. Albery was given a two-year sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 150 hours’ unpaid work.

Wayne Rosier, 41, from Clarence Road, St Leonards, was given a 20-month sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting supplying heroin and crack cocaine, and money laundering. A spokesperson for Sussex Police said: “All three were found to be working together to deal class A drugs on the streets of Hastings and were also found in possession of over £2,000 in cash. The court ordered that this was to be forfeited as the proceeds from their drug dealing activity.”

In a second County Lines case, Alisdair Parkes, 27, from Cooden Sea Road, Bexhill, was convicted of possession of cocaine with intent to supply. He had previously pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

“These convictions followed Parkes being seen in a car by Sussex officers in Battle on March 26 2020 and failing to stop. The vehicle was followed into a cul-de-sac where Parkes decamped and tried to discard the wraps of cocaine he had in his pockets as he ran,” said a spokesperson for Sussex Police. “The officers eventually caught him and he was found in possession of a large amount of cannabis and a dealer line phone. The cocaine was recovered and was valued at between £300 and £500, the cannabis at between £300 and £500.”

Parkes was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment, suspended for 24 months, at Lewes Crown Court last Friday (January 28). He was also ordered to carry out 40 hours’ unpaid work, and to pay £1,000 court costs and a victim surcharge.

In the third case, Luke French, 28, was arrested at Ashdene Service Station on the A21 near Hurst Green, Etchingham, on November 3 last year following an investigation by Sussex, Surrey and Metropolitan Police officers.

“Analysis of his mobile phone found him to be running a County Drugs line from the Cambridge area,” said the Sussex Police spokesperson.

French, from Morley Grove, Harlow, Essex, was jailed at Lewes Crown Court on Wednesday last week (January 26) for two years and four months after admitting supplying heroin and crack cocaine, and money laundering. A man and a woman - not named by police - were arrested at the same time. The man was given a police caution after being caught with a wrap of crack cocaine. The woman was charged with possessing cannabis. She admitted the offence in court and was told to pay a £25 fine plus court costs.

Detective Sergeant Greg Montier said: “These court results show once again how, working with colleagues in other forces, we continue to target drug dealers seeking to bring their illicit and community-disrupting wares into Sussex.”