Drug dealer who jumped in St Neots river to evade arrest is jailed

  • Fynley Jefferies' escape from police was short-lived, bodycam footage shows

Police bodycam video shows a drug dealer jump through a bush and into a river as he tried to get away from officers who were chasing him on foot – before he was arrested and later jailed.

The dealer emerged from the water, soaking wet, onto the riverbank in St Neots a few minutes later having tied his man bag to some hanging branches, Cambridgeshire Police said.

A paddleboarder helped officers to retrieve the bag, which contained £325 in cash as well as cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine – with a street value of £2,000.

Police in St Neots initially saw Fynley Jefferies sat on a fence in Hardwick Road with a manbag across his front and a black plastic bag in his hands.

As they turned to speak to him, the 20-year-old took off, running through bushes and eventually jumping into a river in front of nearby picnickers.

Fynley Jefferies was jailed after being caught. Credit: Cambridgeshire Police

In the bodycam footage, an officer chasing the man shouts “wait there mate” before the suspect leaps through some foliage.

A splash is heard, and the officer says: “Oh Jesus. He’s jumped in the river.”

He stayed in the water for a few minutes and can be seen in the bodycam footage tying his manbag to some overhanging branches before he gets out.

Officers asked a paddleboarding member of the public for help to retrieve the bag.

At Cambridge Crown Court on Tuesday, Jefferies, of Parker Close in Eynesbury, was sentenced to three years and 11 months in prison after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, possession with intent to supply MDMA, possession of cannabis, harassment without violence and malicious communication.

PC Neal Bartley, from the St Neots neighbourhood policing team, said: "Jefferies put his life at risk by jumping into the river in an attempt to hide his drugs and cash from us.

"Unfortunately for him we knew exactly what he was up to and with help from a member of the public, we were able to secure the evidence needed for his conviction.

"We will continue to target people who sell drugs in our community."

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