Jail for county lines dealer caught with 200 wraps of heroin and crack in Shrewsbury
A man who travelled from Birmingham with £2,000 worth of drugs to sell in a town has been jailed.
Julian Smith, 23, admitted having 201 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine in a car in Shrewsbury last year, and this week he was sentenced to four years and eight months in prison.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that Smith was in a car near Marshalls Court in the town on March 14 of last year when police stopped the vehicle and spoke to three men inside.
Richard Franck, prosecuting, said that the driver, 23-year-old Odane Campbell, voluntarily gave up a small amount of cannabis.
But Smith ran away, and was soon found hiding behind a car having thrown his phone underneath another car.
At this point the police searched Campbell's car, and found the wraps of drugs worth £10 each. There were 159 wraps of crack cocaine and 42 of heroin.
All three men were arrested, and phone messages found on Smith's phone showed he meant to sell the drugs in Shrewsbury.
Previous good character
Representing Smith, of Cornfield Drive in Birmingham, Andrew Mitchinson pointed to his previous good character and lack of convictions.
In sentencing Smith, judge Jonathan Gosling said: "You are 23 years old and of good character. But you know very well that a prison sentence is inevitable here.
"People who involve themselves in the murky world of drug dealing have to face the consequences of that. This was an organised operation, not just a street deal."
Odane Campbell, of Frinton Grove in Birmingham, was given a suspended sentence of eight months for offering to supply cannabis after messages were found on his phone.
Phillip Beardwell, who represented him, said that Campbell had no idea what Smith's plans were and had just offered him a lift.
Local policing commander for Shropshire, Superintendent Jason Wells, said: "We're determined to ensure organised crime is not happening in our communities and our efforts to crackdown on county lines in our rural towns will not stop.
"We will continue to take action against those dealing in our county and protect our communities from those causing the most harm."
