Dealer sentenced for operating Brighton drugs line

A dealer who used mobile phones to advertise and operate a drug supply line in Brighton has been jailed.

David Bakare was seen using a hire car in Brighton linked to the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.

Officers from the Specialist Enforcement Unit (SEU) stopped him outside an address in Eastern Road, Brighton.

They noted how the 28-year-old was clenching his buttocks.

His vehicle was searched and drugs were found, so he was arrested.

In custody, officers found wraps of drugs which Bakare had stashed inside himself.

Bakare, of Tadema Road, Kensington, was already under investigation for supplying a psychoactive substance in Brighton in an earlier incident, where he was arrested by Brighton Response officers.

Following an investigation by the Brighton Community Investigation Team (CIT), he was charged with offences.

At Lewes Crown Court on April 4 he admitted being concerned in the supply of diamorphine (heroin), being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine, and supplying a psychoactive substance.

He was sentenced to four years and four months in prison.

The court heard how the first incident happened in Ship Street, Brighton, at 3am on September 17, 2022. Bakare was seen dealing from the boot of a silver Volkswagen outside a hotel.

He was supplying nitrous oxide from a cannister and was arrested.

Then between November 2023 and January 16 this year, Bakare was linked to operating the “Snoop” drugs line in Brighton.

He was linked to marketing class A drugs in the city.

Officers from the Specialist Enforcement Unit carried out a proactive stop on January 16 and noted his odd behaviour as he tried to conceal wraps of heroin.

An address in nearby Lavender Street also identified further evidence of drug dealing.

SEU Inspector Ollie Pullen said: “This case shows our determination to disrupt the supply of class A drugs which cause so much harm to our communities.

“This includes working to deny criminals the use of the road network.

“Thanks to a proactive vehicle stop, Bakare was caught in possession of drugs, and our colleagues in the Community Investigation Team worked hard to bring charges.

“Bakare had no choice but to plead guilty when the case came to court.

“We are pleased that a significant drugs operation in Brighton has now been shut down.”