Cocaine dealer sentenced to five years in prison

A 45-year-old cocaine dealer has been handed a sentence of five years in prison after an incident in Northampton in November 2020.

Ziso Berouka, 45, previously of Northampton, was arrested on November 25, 2020, after neighbourhood officers received intelligence that a grey BMW 5 Series had just been involved in a drug deal near Barrack Road.

They deployed to find and follow the car, eventually stopping it in Horsemarket. Inside was Berouka and following a search of the car, a sock containing numerous bags of crack cocaine was discovered.

The officers then secured a warrant to search Berouka’s house in Lower Hester Street where half a kilogram of cocaine with a purity of 83%, £10,000 in cash, and a quantity of mobile phones were also found and seized.

Berouka was charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs as a result and this week at Northampton Crown Court, he was sentenced to five years in prison.

The two officers who investigated the case, PC Ethan McCullen and PC Sean Whelan, said: “Being out and about in the community on a regular basis allows us to connect with people more and therefore be in a better position to act on intelligence when it’s provided to us.

“This was a very quick and efficient stop which resulted in the finding of drugs with a street value of £50,000. We’re really pleased with the result and the fact Ziso Berouka is now behind bars.

“The message to criminals in this town is clear - we will not stop in our pursuit to bring you to justice, even if it means working a 24 hour shift to get a result.”

Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Andy Blaize, said: “This was some excellent work from two brilliant officers and as a result of their quality neighbourhood policing, another drug dealer has been taken off the streets of Northampton.”

If you have information about drug dealing in your area, please call Northamptonshire Police on 101. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.