County Lines: Seven men jailed for 'flooding' Stockton with crack cocaine

Thomas Blake, Alan Thurston, Adam Coulter, Dale Hindmarsh, Curtis Fitzpatrick, Macauley Hulme, Jake Hutchinson have all been jailed. Credit: Cleveland Police

Seven men have been jailed for their roles in a county lines drug gang which was uncovered as part of a large-scale crackdown.

The men were jailed for a total of 27 years for their involvement in the supply of drugs across Stockton.

Cleveland Police said it followed its largest crackdown on county lines drug dealing.

Detective Inspector James Barnes said: “We welcome the sentences given today to this organised crime group who were flooding the streets of Stockton with crack cocaine.

“We hope this sends out a clear message that we will take robust action against those seeking to exploit others into a criminal lifestyle."

The seven men jailed on Monday 3 April:

Dale Hindmarsh, 30, of Stockton was sentenced to four years and nine months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and two counts of conspiracy to supply Class B drugs.
Jake Hutchinson, 29, of Stockton was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Alan Thurston, 40, of Stockton was sentenced to three years and nine months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Thomas Blake, 27, of Stockton was sentenced to three years and two months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Macauley Hulme, 25, of Stockton was sentenced to three years and two months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Adam Coulter, 29, of Stockton was sentenced to three years and nine months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Curtis Fitzpatrick, 25, of Stockton was sentenced to two years and seven months for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

As part of the operation, a total of 19 people have now been convicted.

County lines is when children or vulnerable people are exploited or coerced by organised crime groups into transporting, selling and/or storing illegal drugs or money.

More than 100 officers from Cleveland Police, the National Crime Agency and British Transport Police’s County Lines team took part in three days of action in March 2022.

As a result, 27 people were arrested and £120,000 worth of drugs were seized along with weapons and cash.

A number of children at risk of exploitation were also safeguarded through the force’s ongoing work with partner agencies.

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