Bristol man jailed after conspiring to bring £300k of heroin and cocaine in to South West
A Bristol man who conspired with a Gloucester drug dealer to bring £300,000 worth of heroin and cocaine in to the South West has been jailed.
Assane Simpson, 26, was caught after information on a phone linked him to Gloucester drug dealer Aaron James, who was convicted earlier this month.
Simpson, who had been living in Knowle, south Bristol, has been sentenced to nine-and-a-half-years in prison.
He was found guilty of conspiring to supply heroin and cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possessing false identification.
James, 32 and of Nutcroft in Gloucester, was handed a nine-year jail term earlier this month after admitting being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug and possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.
Gloucestershire Police carried out analysis of a seized phone and found conversations between the two men, showing the pair had been working on the wholesale supply of heroin and cocaine prior to James' arrest in February this year.
In one example, Simpson sent a photo to James of a quarter of a kilogram of heroin in which he had circled some of the heroin and indicated he was unhappy with the quality.
In other conversations, Simpson discussed selling half a kilogram of cocaine for £19,000 and half a kilogram of heroin in Cheltenham for £50,000.
A separate proactive operation by Avon and Somerset Police had previously recovered half a kilogram of heroin from a male in Exeter, alongside Simpson’s fingerprints on the packaging, demonstrating his reach across the region.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Smith said: “Exploitative drug networks remain an operational priority for Gloucestershire Constabulary.
“The pain and harm drug dealers cause to communities is abhorrent, they prey on the weak and vulnerable. We will continue to bring the full force of our resources into identifying them, targeting them and disrupting them.”
Investigator PC Andrew Smetham said: “Assane Simpson will be known to many people as Andre, Reds or Big Reds.
“Through working closely with our colleagues from Gloucestershire, we’re delighted that a prolific drug dealer is now behind bars and off Bristol’s streets.
“Illegal drugs cause a huge amount of misery and we welcome the significant sentence handed out, which should act as a warning to others that crime does not pay.”
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