Albanian Drug Criminals Met Gang Member In Chiswick

Jail for criminals who tried to supply drugs in Portsmouth

A member of a crime gang met with Albanian drug criminals in Chiswick and Richmond, a court in Portsmouth was told.

The 35-year old man, Jay Connor, was jailed along with Brian Philpott (53), Spencer Stent (31) and Amanda Pennington (47) for a total of 19 years and ten months. They were found guilty of conspiring to supply almost £437,000 worth of cocaine in the Portsmouth area.

The Portsmouth Crown Court heard that Connor, who received an eight year sentence, was discovered under surveillance by the Serious and Organised Crime Directorate, meeting Albanian drug gang members in Chiswick and Richmond in May last year.

Connor, of Main Road, Chichester, was said to have played a ‘leading role’ in the conspiracy, meeting members of the Albanian gang in London and organising the operation.

Connor, Philpott, of Wellesley Close, Waterlooville, and Stent, of Gloucester Way, Chichester, admitted conspiracy to supply drugs.

Connor was jailed for eight years, Stent for four years and eight months and Philpott for two years and eight months. Stent was also caught on CCTV in August last year meeting a member of the organised crime group in Richmond.

The gang received more than 3kg of high purity cocaine from an organised, London-based gang of Albanian criminals who police say were trying to infiltrate Portsmouth.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard on one occasion a kilogram of cocaine was delivered in the car park of a city school.The gang used pay-as-you go mobile phones for their conspiracy.

The drug ring was smashed after detectives found the cocaine packages during two searches. Hampshire Constabulary’s Major Investigation Team (HMIT), the force’s Serious and Organised Crime Directorate and the Metropolitan Police were all involved in the investigation.

October 24, 2013