Drug dealers get 12 hours to quit Devon
TWO drug dealers were given just 12 hours to permanently leave Devon after infiltrating the county's drug scene.
Dale Carroll, 21, and Sonny Elms, 18, both from Manchester, were slapped with full antisocial behaviour orders prohibiting them from setting foot in the county for three years.
It is only the second time this kind of ban has been used in Devon.
Police said the pair were part of an organised crime gang from Manchester, which was responsible for putting Class A drugs on to the streets of Exeter and causing misery in local communities.
As previously reported in the Echo, the pair were served with interim Asbo orders, applied for by Devon & Cornwall Police, until full Asbo orders could be granted.
And yesterday, Exeter magistrates granted full Asbos after considering evidence about the pair's criminal activity.
One of the conditions of the order was that Elms and Carroll leave the county within 12 hours of the Asbos being granted.
For several months, the pair travelled from their homes in Manchester to deal drugs, believed to be Class A including heroin and crack cocaine, in Exeter.
And police linked them to a city drugs den which was recently shut down and boarded up. The property in Clayton Road, St David's, was being used by drug dealers and drug users for several months before police successfully applied to the courts to have it closed.
Sergeant Andy Nordqvist, of Exeter's neighbourhood policing team, said: "Carroll and Elms were part of an organised crime gang from the north of the country. We believe they were sent down from Manchester to deal drugs in Exeter and Torquay. They were responsible for a proportion of the city's hard drug supply.
"We are very pleased that the courts saw it necessary to grant the full Asbos against Elms and Carroll. It wasn't just that these two were drug dealers, it was that they were applying their trade in public areas in full view of residents, children and people going about their lawful business in parks and open spaces.
"The removal of these two from Devon will have disrupted Exeter's drugs supply.
"And the use of these orders sends out a strong message to other drug dealers."
Police used intelligence gathered from local officers and members of the public to smash the pair's drugs ring by removing them from Devon.
The orders are part of an ongoing fight against drug gangs from the north of the country which attempt to flood Exeter's streets with illegal substances.
Similar Asbos were handed out to Manchester teenagers Jonathan Burns and Anthony Busutill last summer.
Police say they will use this kind of measure to remove drug dealers from the city again in the future if necessary.
7 Comments
by john burns, manchester
Wednesday, June 23 2010, 1:50AM
“No prison sentence was given coz no drugs was found, the courts give the asbos on hear say, it's like i could say adrian you sell drugs to the police then they go court and say mr burns says adrian sells drugs lets give him an asbo. it' s all a load of rubbish”
by michael, exmouth
Tuesday, June 22 2010, 5:16AM
“Why call drug dealers criminals? Alcohol is poison by definition, meat is murder and the government print death warnings on tobacco, but that is ok, nobody forces anybody to take this stuff and they would complain if it were not available. The magistrates and police admit to me in writing they themselves are criminals, every copper in Exmouth knows why but nobody complains about that. Maybe these men became drug dealers because like me they know how corrupt police, courts and politicians are so why be law abiding? I never will be again.”
by Adrian, Exeter
Sunday, June 20 2010, 8:47AM
“Why are these scum not serving a prison sentence before having asbos inforced. Why are funds gained by their drug dealing activities not being siezed? If we want drugs off the street real sentences need to be imposed. These County wide asbos are a joke.”
by michael, exmouth
Saturday, June 19 2010, 8:27PM
“Police, who are they?”
by Cynic, Exeter
Saturday, June 19 2010, 6:34PM
“To clarify - The property in Clayton Road was NOT used as a drugs den for 'several months'. Two years would be a more accurate indication of the time scale involved and Devon & Cornwall Constabulary were frequently notified, during this period, of what was occurring at this address. This 'result' smacks of 'NIMBYism', as if shifting the problem back to Manchester is a success. It isn't, jail sentences should have been issued and THEN the offenders returned to Manchester. The police wonder why they are losing credibility with the public.”
by Cynic, Exeter
Saturday, June 19 2010, 6:26PM
“To clarify - The property in Clayton Road was NOT used as a drugs den for 'several months'. Two years would be a more realistic time scale. Devon & Cornwall Constabulary were regularly informed of the problems at this address. Moving the problem to elsewhere (Manchester) smacks of 'NIMBYism', as if shifting the problem elsewhere makes their behaviour no longer a problem. Why didn't these offenders receive a jail sentence instead and THEN returned to Manchester?”
by Charles Henry 1945-(diuturnity), Somersetshire
Saturday, June 19 2010, 5:13PM
“:| "Police say they will use this kind of measure to remove drug dealers from the city again in the future if necessary."
So they will now just go and 'pollute' another town or city.
Give them community service. . Send them out to Afghanistan with bomb detectors to walk in front of the troops.”