Teenager in long-running Great Yarmouth drugs conspiracy trial changes his plea to guilty

The 'Deano' phone line was used by the county lines gang to target known drug users in Great Yarmouth between May 2017 and June, last year, and is alleged to have heavily relied on the use of mobile phones to advertise the drugs.

Glonar Thomas, 19, from Hackney, was part way through giving evidence in his defence at Norwich Crown Court when he suddenly changed his plea and admitted his involvement in the conspiracy.

Thomas pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine and was then formally found guilty by the jury, who have been hearing the trial, which is now in its fifth week.

Thomas had denied he was a 'manager or 'lieutenant' for the operation and claimed it was a shock to discover his DNA was found on some of the drugs packaging.

Thomas will be sentenced at a later date.

The trial is continuing for the other defendants, who have all denied involvement in the conspiracy.

The other defendants are William Donkoh, 31, of Brooksby's Walk, Hackney, Sebastian Arenas-Valencia, 20, from Hackney, Tatjana Reinis, 40, of Rodney Road, Great Yarmouth, Ian Starkings, 38, of Pottergate, Norwich, Irina Rasimovic, 31, of no fixed address, who have all denied two counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug in Great Yarmouth.

Another defendant to give evidence, Reinis told the court how she had been trafficked from Lithuania to come and work in Great Yarmouth and had been a heroin addict on and off for about 20 years.

Reinis, who had the help of a Lithuanian interpreter, said she had only bought drugs from the Deano line as a customer and had not been part of any conspiracy to sell drugs.

She said she was always getting texts from the line which were sent to her phone and said: 'I used to get texts from this number that has drugs.'

Asked by her barrister Ian James if apart from being a customer did she do anything else on behalf of the Deano line, she replied: 'No.'

The trial continues.