Brighton crack dealer put behind bars

Padodou John, 27, of no fixed address, was sentenced to four years imprisonment when he appeared at Lewes Crown Court on Monday (November 20), said Sussex Police.

Officers said he had pleaded guilty on October 20 to the charge of conspiracy to supply class A drugs in Brighton between 1 September 2016 and March 9 this year.

He was among 75 arrests made during a six-month long operation carried out by officers from Brighton and Hove Police’s Community Investigation Team into the supply of drugs into the city, said police.

Judge Charles Kemp said to John: “You and five others were six conspirators to supply class A drugs. You ran the Diggy drugs line from a distance and were responsible for sourcing the drugs from outside Brighton, preparing them for street sales, answering phones, taking orders and sending out the runners. Your DNA was on the packing of several transactions.”

John failed to answer his police bail in March this year after he had been arrested and went on the run, said police.

An appeal was issued by the force on its website to help find him and following a call to police from a member of the public about his location, John was traced and arrested at an address in Portslade on September 1.

Detective Constable Jon Freeman said: “I want to thank everyone that contacted us in response to the public and media appeal about Padodou John. The information provided helped us find and arrest him.”

Kevin Hume, 47, of no fixed address, was also sentenced on Monday (November 20) to two years imprisonment suspended for two years and a given a six-month drug rehabilitation order for supply crack cocaine on 5 October 2016. He pleaded guilty to the charge on October 30.

Detective Inspector Julie Wakeford said: “This group were not only profiting from supplying heroin and crack cocaine in the city, they were also exploiting vulnerable residents by using their addresses as locations from which to deal and hide their drugs.

“This is something we are seeing more and more with dealers from out of town taking over addresses in Brighton and Hove. They target residents who often struggle with addictions but who are also vulnerable for many other reasons.

“We encourage anyone who has any information about drug dealing or concerns about any resident being exploited to contact us.”

Contact police online or ring 101. Alternatively, you can visit the Crimestoppers website or contact the independent charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.