Drug dealer who led police on chase through Gunwharf Quays is jailed

A drug dealer from the Isle of Wight has been jailed, after he was caught transporting £200,000 of crack cocaine.

James Brian Rose attempted to flee from officers earlier on 28 June, after the vehicle he was travelling in was stopped by officers in Portsmouth.

Rose, who was in the front passenger seat, immediately fled the vehicle and led police on a chase through Gunwharf Quays shopping centre. Officers saw him throw a black rucksack into the sea.

Inside, they found a number of large sealed packages, as well as Rose’s wallet which contained around £850 cash. The packages contained crack and heroin with an estimated street value of approximately £200,000.

Rose, of North Road in Shanklin, was subsequently charged with two counts of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply, and one count of concealing criminal property.

He appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court, where he was jailed for five years. 

T/DC Callum Younger, who investigated the case, said: “This result follows some excellent proactive work by officers both on the Isle of Wight and on the mainland to intercept the supply of a significant quantity of drugs.

“Because of this, a huge amount of cocaine and heroin has been removed from the streets, and Rose is now behind bars.“

Much of the work we do as police officers to tackle drugs supply is intelligence-based, which is why it is so important that people continue to report to police any information about the suspected supply of drugs in their neighbourhood.“