A DEALER who made £10,000 as he helped to turn a “quaint old pub” into a “drug den” has been locked up after an undercover sting into Class A drug supply across Colchester.
From facilitators who “played the game” to salesmen conducting dozens of deals per month, five offenders arrested as part of a “complex” probe have been sentenced.
Ipswich Crown Court heard an uptick in violence on the streets of Colchester led police to launch Operation Monaco last year.
READ MORE: Colchester drug dealers who sold to undercover police officers jailed for 16 years
The operation saw covert officers deployed in licensed premises in a bid to catch drug dealers in the act.
In July last year, an officer engaged Jordan Gibbins, 29, in a conversation about purchasing drugs in the Royal Mortar pub.
She heard Gibbins say he was “on all weekend and would be in the pub the next day for the football”.
Gibbins went on to supply the officer with cocaine, leading to a raid on his home in August.
Cash, drug paraphernalia and mobile phones were seized.
Through analysis of the phones, police were able to establish Gibbins, of Weyland Drive, Stanway, had been involved in more than 600 drug deals between April and August 2021.
He accepted the deals were worth £10,000, although police estimated the value of the illicit sales was closer to £27,000.
Gibbins, who has 14 convictions for 24 offences, admitted being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug and was jailed for four years and two months.
He was ordered to pay back just £300 of his ill-gotten gains.
A second undercover officer engaged with Nigel Parkes, 56, in the Leather Bottle pub, about the purchase of cocaine in bulk.
The court heard Parkes, of Layer Road, Abberton, “facilitated” a meeting between the officer and co-accused Adam Stephenson.
The officer, accompanied by Parkes, was able to purchase 27.7g of cocaine at a purity of 68 per cent from Stephenson.
Richard Potts, prosecuting, said: “[The officer] was told the price would be £1,400 and when he queried that, Parkes explained should [the officer] want to buy more, the price would go down significantly.”
Judge Martyn Levett said: “By October 2021, I take the view that you played the game of trying to hook people into a syndicate, you were a very able facilitator.”
Parkes admitted being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug and was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years.
He must complete 180 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement and will remain subject to a curfew until March 2023.
The court heard Stuart Edwards, 34, of Gazelle Court, Colchester, “gave his own name to undercover officers” as he sold drugs in various locations.
The court heard he wanted to “pick off easy targets in a pub”.
Judge Levett said Edwards was arrested in possession of five mobile phones and was on “a mobile crusade” to deal Class A substances.
He admitted three counts of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug.
Edwards was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 180 hours of unpaid work and a 50-day rehabilitation activity requirement.
He will be subject to a curfew until March.
He was arrested alongside Sian-Leigh McDonald, 26, of Gazelle Court, Colchester, who admitted being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug.
She was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, suspended for two years. She must complete 150 hours of unpaid work, a rehabilitation activity requirement and will be subject to a curfew until March.
Judge Levett said: “The Royal Mortar pub, up near the recreation ground, is a popular pub within a certain area of a significant amount of drug users.
“To my surprise, the Leather Bottle, which used to be in its former days a quaint old pub, has now been turned into a drug den for people who want to deal narcotics of a Class A nature.”
He said there was “no doubt a correlation” between drug dealing and violence, adding such “hotspots” for dealing have an adverse impact on their surrounding communities.
READ MORE: Pub at the 'heart of a large scale cocaine business' reapplies for alcohol licence
Theresa Donovan, 31, of Magdalen Green, Colchester, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine and cannabis and possessing criminal property.
The court heard two undercover officers purchased drugs from Donovan at her home while her two children were present.
She told the officers she could also get them stolen goods as she “had a robber” who could “get her stuff from Fenwick”.
After a raid on her address in August last year, she was visited by the undercover officers once again.
She told them the raid had “done her a favour” as it had “made her more vigilant”.
When a second raid was carried out, officers seized cannabis, multiple mobile phones, drug paraphernalia and designer clothing with the labels still attached.
Judge Levett said Donovan’s home had been transformed into a “drug dealer’s den, well stocked with cocaine and cannabis”.
He said her children could “quite easily” have ingested drugs at the property, leading to a risk of death.
“This demonstrates to me the risks you take as far as your children are concerned,” he said.
Donovan was sentenced to three years and eight months imprisonment.
In May, six others snared during the operation were sentenced for their roles dealing Class A drugs in Colchester.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel