Man caught dealing class A drugs in Norwich is jailed

Hersi Ahmed, 25, was found with packages of heroin and cocaine with a street value of more than £1000, Norwich Crown Court heard.

He was arrested by officers from the Norwich Neighbourhood Policing Team at an address in Lawson Road following information from members of the public about local drug dealing in the area.

During a search of the premises cash and mobile phones were seized and Ahmed was also found to be in possession of a number of wraps of Class A drugs.

Following his arrest in 2017 Ahmed was charged with drugs offences.

Ahmed, from East London, appeared at Norwich Crown Court earlier this year when he pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug, namely heroin and cocaine, on December 17 2017.

He was jailed for a total of 32 months when he appeared for sentence last week.

Speaking after Ahmed was sentenced, Sergeant Tony Lester said: 'I hope this sentencing reassures the local community that the Norwich Neighbourhood Policing Team will respond robustly to reports of drug dealing in the city under Operation Gravity and we will seek to secure lengthy jail sentences for those caught breaking the law.'

As previously reported, Mark Roochove, prosecuting, said Ahmed was found at the Lawson Road address with the drugs.

He said: 'It was for street deals and the drugs were worth in excess of £1000.'

He said that Ahmed had no previous convictions for drugs offences.

Brian Kennedy for Ahmed, asked for reports and said: 'He is a young man and has entered a guilty plea.'

Ahmed is one of the latest to be dealt with under the Operation Gravity banner.

Launched in December 2016 to disrupt and prevent County Lines drug dealing in Norfolk towns and villages, more than 1,000 people have so far been arrested as part of the Operation Gravity crackdown.

But despite hundreds of arrests being made as part of the crackdown, Class A drug use in the county has remained stable and in some cases increased.