Five men have been sentenced to more than 25 years in prison for a number of drugs offences following the success of Operation Impose enforcement action last year.
The men appeared at Leicester Crown Court yesterday (Thursday 25 August) to be sentenced following their guilty pleas at separate hearings at the same court over the last few months.
Operation Impose was a two-week long enforcement with coordinated warrants carried out at multiple addresses across Hinckley and surrounding areas in September last year. The response followed months of investigative work, with the operation targeting those bringing drugs into the county – through county lines activity – and those dealing on a local level.
The overt activity followed months of work by the force to build the case against those involved in the drugs lines.
The five men are:
Ian Jackson, 40, of Westmorland Road, Coventry, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs – heroin and crack cocaine. He was sentenced to eight years and nine months in prison.
Shane Jackson, 22, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs – cocaine and heroin, and one count of being concerned in the supply of class B drugs – cannabis. He was sentenced to six years and ten months in prison.
Nathan Jones, 33, of Dunsmore Avenue, Coventry, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs – crack cocaine and heroin. He was sentenced to five years in prison.
Jamie Harris, 45, of Coniston Close, Earl Shilton, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply Class drugs – heroin and crack cocaine. He was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.
Danny Avis, 30, of Poyser Road, Nuneaton, pleaded guilty to two counts of supply class A drugs – heroin and crack cocaine. He was sentenced to 19 months in prison.
The Jacksons, Jones and Avis were arrested on the same day, with officers targeting addresses at the same time or moving quickly to known addresses for the suspected offenders. Harris was arrested three days later on 23 September.
Evidence gathered revealed that Ian Jackson, based in Coventry, with the assistance of his son Shane Jackson, controlled a drugs line known as the “Pablo Line”.
In order to facilitate their distribution within Leicestershire, they directed others such as Jones, Avis and Harris to supply drug users on their behalf.
Detective Inspector Rob Arthur was overseeing the enforcement activity and subsequent investigation. He said: “These sentences today are reflective of the seriousness of the crimes committed by these five men – who were all involved in bringing drugs on to the streets of Leicestershire in various ways.
“The enforcement activity, with the support of other agencies, helped reduce the amount of drugs and allowed people to get help from other agencies.”
The enforcement operation – Operation Impose – which has led to this court case, was carried out with the help of funding from the National County Lines Coordination Centre.
For more information about the enforcement activity, visit: Hinckley County Lines drugs gangs taken out of business by police | Leicestershire Police (leics.police.uk)