Drug dealer sentenced following stop search in Northampton

A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to supplying Class A drugs in Northampton.

Rene Ross, formerly of Falcon Crescent in Bilston, Wolverhampton, was arrested after being stopped in a vehicle by officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Operation Revive West team.

At about 4.50pm on July 13 last year, while on patrol in Colwyn Road, officers came across a black BMW X5, in which Ross was a rear seat passenger, and stopped the car under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

When asked if he had anything on him, Ross ran before being swiftly detained. In the process, he fell to the floor and scattered a large amount of coloured individual wraps in front of him and he was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

The individual drug deals were tested and 42 were found to contain heroin and 21 cocaine, which had an estimated street value of between £735 and £840, and Ross was subsequently charged with two offences.

On July 15, Ross was remanded in custody at Northampton Magistrates’ Court however was later released on conditional bail at a later hearing at the same court on January 8 this year, and his case was transferred to crown court.

At Northampton Crown Court on March 26, Ross was sentenced to three years and six months imprisonment for possession with intent to supply a Class A drug – heroin, and a further three years and six months to run concurrently for possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Lead investigator, Detective Constable Paul Sanderson, of the West LPA CID team, said: “I am pleased with the sentence handed to Rene Ross, and hope this is seen as a deterrent to anyone who is thinking of dealing drugs within our communities.

“Drug harm is a matter of priority for the Force, and we will continue to tenaciously enforce and disrupt drug dealers, who prey on the most vulnerable people in our society and bring misery to our streets and communities.”

Operation Revive is the Force’s hard-hitting enforcement campaign which focuses on bringing the offenders of serious violence associated with Class A drug dealing and gangs to justice.

If anyone has concerns about drug dealing, or someone becoming drawn into gang culture, please report it to us on 101, online at www.northants.police.uk/ro or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.