Hastings man sentenced following significant drug seizures in East Sussex

A man from Hastings has been sentenced to more than five-and-a-half years in prison following a number of drug raids across East Sussex and London in May.

Tonderai Magaya, 23, of Norcross Close, Hastings, was sentenced to 56-months in prison and a further suspended sentence was reactivated for 12-months, which he will serve consecutively at Lewes Crown Court.

He also received a forfeiture and destruction order for drugs seized, paraphernalia, and mobile phones and will also pay a victim surcharge of £156.

Detective Constable David Brown said: “This is a positive sentencing is a following the collaborative working between forces and shows our determination to disrupt those responsible for county lines drug dealing. Class ‘A’ supply has a large negative impact on local people & local services.

“This crime type continues to be a potent threat in our communities and our primary concern is remains the exploitation and trafficking of vulnerable adults and children and we continue to put dealers under more pressure every month.”

Magaya was arrested on Wednesday, May 4, at his home address, charged with concerned in supply of cocaine and pleaded guilty at Hastings Magistrates Court the following day.

This was part of a series of dawn raids at addresses in Eastbourne, Hastings and London.

Sussex Police, supported by London's Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police, led the execution of 19 drugs warrants, resulting in 18 arrests on suspicion of involvement in the supply of Class A drugs.

Around 5,000 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin were seized during the raids, as well as 7kg of cocaine, 2kg of heroin, £300,000 in cash and four phones suspected of being used in the running of county drugs lines between Sussex, Surrey and Norwich.

You can help. The best advice is to trust your instincts – if somebody shows signs of mistreatment, or a child seems to be travelling long distances or is unfamiliar with a locality, you can report suspicions to local police on 101 or online or to British Transport Police on 0800 40 50 40 if you see something on the railway network.

There are also many sources of further advice and assistance to help combat the harm caused by drugs. Safe Space Sussex takes you to all the local organisations who provide support for those affected by drugs misuse.