Dealer who supplied heroin and crack jailed

A drug dealer has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after we seized around £15,000-worth of crack cocaine and heroin, thousands of pounds in cash and phones believed to be linked to dealing in Stoke-on-Trent.

Luis Ferreira, 38, from Newport, Wales, was sentenced at Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court on Friday (8 November) after changing his plea from not guilty to guilty of possession with intent to supply a class A drug (heroin), and possession with intent to supply a class A drug (cocaine).

Ferreira was arrested in May when officers from our major and organised crime proactive teams forced entry and searched a property in Etruria.

They found heroin and crack cocaine, around £8,600 in cash and two mobile phones, including a suspected main drug line believed to be used to co-ordinate drug deals.

Detective Superintendent Nicki Addison, head of our major and organised crime teams, said: “We welcome the court outcome and sentence, which has put another drug dealer behind bars following months of proactive policing.

“We are determined to target and disrupt drug activity in our county, especially county lines dealing, which has a devastating impact on people’s lives and local communities."

The activity follows our ongoing commitment to proactively target serious and organised crime across Staffordshire.

We launched Operation Target in May last year and have been working hard to identify, disrupt and pursue criminals who plan, organise and commit serious criminal offences across the county, including drug supply, illegal firearms, knife crime, human trafficking and sexual exploitation.