Jailed: Two men who ran 'high level' county line cannabis and cocaine network
Two men, including one from the Black Country, who ran a "county line" into Hereford have been jailed for a total of nine years and ten months.
At Worcester Crown Court, Andrew Pritchard, 37, of Ridgemoor Road in Leominster was given a five-year prison sentence for two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs- cocaine, and two counts of acquiring/using/possessing criminal property.
Taylor Warr, 22, of Sheriff Drive in Brierley Hill, West Midlands was sentenced to four years and ten months for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession with intent to supply a controlled drug- Class B – Cannabis and acquiring/using/possessing criminal property.
Following an investigation, Warr and Pritchard were found to be running the county line named ‘Terry’ that was used to supply class A drugs into Leominster, Hereford.
‘County lines’ is the name given to the process and operation of drugs transported from predominately larger urban areas to smaller towns, often in rural areas, with the ‘line’ referring to the mobile number used to order the drugs.
Detective Constable Kyle Hopkins said: “This was a detailed and complex investigation involving high level offending spread across a number of Police forces, Warr and Pritchard were responsible for trafficking class A drugs into the local community.
“The misery of drugs is well known, and it devastates lives on a daily basis, I welcome these sentences as a demonstration of the severity of the offences. West Mercia Police will relentlessly pursue those who traffic drugs, regardless of where they operate, and will always seek to prosecute those who cause harm to the local community”.