County lines dealers jailed for funnelling drugs into towns

Six people have been jailed for funnelling drugs with a street value of about £250,000 into Midlands towns.

The county lines drugs network trafficked at least 2.5kg of crack cocaine and heroin into Stratford-upon-Avon and Royal Leamington Spa from January 2019 to July 2020, police said.

During a raid, officers found a one-year-old baby in a car being used by one of the drug dealers.

Police said the group had profited from other people’s suffering.

West Midlands Police uncovered hundreds of messages sent to users from a drugs hotline which was run by Levi Pollard-Mersom, 29.

The force said he had exploited addicts to run the drugs, carry out street deals and also ‘cuckooed’ – took over – homes of vulnerable people to use as supply bases.

Pollard-Mersom was caught by police in the act of dealing from a Ford Fiesta in a car park on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon on 19 June, 2020.

A baby and girl, 17, along with a stash of cocaine and heroin were also found in the vehicle before his arrest.

At Warwick Crown Court on 18 November, he was sentenced to 12 years and 9 months in jail after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Following his arrest, his brother Paul Walker, 20, who initially helped to store and deliver drugs, took over the hotline, police said.

Walker was found guilty of the same charge and sentenced to 10 years in jail.

Jordan Hill, 31, has been described by the force as another senior member of the county lines drug operation.

He managed deliveries, controlled others, carried out violent acts and took orders on the county line, officers added.

Jordan Hill also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin and is set to be sentenced on 13 December.

The remaining sentences for conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, are:

Hasum Makalo, 18, and Gary Brown, 19, were sentenced at a previous hearing and are both currently serving jail sentences of six years and five years eight months respectively.

Det Insp Julie Woods, said: “The men in charge of this operation have shown themselves as callous individuals driven by greed and were happy to make money on others’ suffering.”

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]