Man who ran drugs line which bought £100k of heroin and cocaine into Bristol jailed

A man involved in supplying heroin and cocaine in Bristol has been jailed for more than three years after he was caught trying to hide the evidence in a stream.

Jamie Russell, 23, pleaded guilty to four offences and was sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Thursday 24 August.

He was tracked by officers earlier this year and was found to be controlling a drug supply phone line that operated in Redcliffe between March and June.

He unsuccessfully tried to discard drugs in the Malago stream in south Bristol before being arrested and charged on 20 June.

Officers from Avon and Somerset Police's dive team searched the culvert Russell had hidden in and found a mobile phone linked to the drug line concealed inside.

A further search of Russell’s home, in Victoria Street, found more than £2,000 worth of heroin and cocaine, a knuckle duster and drug-dealing paraphernalia.

A drugs expert witness involved in the case estimated the value of drugs dealt as a result of Russell's operation was worth approximately £100,000.

Russell was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, and one further count each of possession of a bladed article and possession of an offensive weapon in a private place.

He received a prison sentence totalling three years and four months.Inspector Steve Davey said: “Russell and those like him cause immeasurable harm to our communities, often preying on and exploiting the most vulnerable for their own personal gain and furthering the harm done by class A drugs.

"This sentence shows the seriousness of the offence and how drug dealing will not be tolerated in Avon and Somerset, no matter the lengths any criminal will go to in an effort to hide crucial evidence.”