Portsmouth county lines gang peddling crack cocaine and heroin due at Portsmouth Crown Court
Six members of a gang peddling heroin and crack cocaine brought from south London to Portsmouth in a county lines operation are set to be sentenced next week.
The gang first went on trial at Portsmouth Crown Court accused of a £150,000 to £450,000 criminal enterprise in September.
But the case was halted and a retrial ordered for February. All defendants have since pleaded guilty, and will be sentenced on Monday.
Alleged ringleader Terrell King, 25, of Alexandra Place in south east London, admitted two charges of conspiring to supply class A drugs.
His girlfriend Paris Gayle, 28 years, of St Aubyn’s Road in Upper Norwood, Croydon admitted possessing criminal property – depositing £7,650 into a Portsmouth-based Nationwide account.
Londoners Tyler Griffiths, 20, of Seldon Park Road in Croydon; Tyreece Riggon, 19, of Wisbeach Road in Croydon; and Devonte Sowell, 20, of Stratford Road in London, all admitted two charges of conspiring to supply class A drugs.
So did local man Jason Valvona, 49, of Gosport Road in Fareham.
At a trial in September, prosecutor David Richards said: ‘Some of the defendants are from south London - they are those principally behind the operation - while others have a lesser role.
‘Analysis of texts and calls shows all are connected to the conspiracy.
‘The principal defendants lived in south London but came to Portsmouth using themselves and local users to sell heroin and crack cocaine.
‘They used branded mobile phones to advertise drugs to get users to respond. These users were often vulnerable. The drugs supply (in Portsmouth) would be replenished by them returning to London.’
He added: ‘The extent of the operation is demonstrated with potential dealing amounting to £150,000 to £450,000.’
The conspiracy ran between September 23, 2016 and April 5, 2017.
Co-defendant Robert Tomney, 51, of Basin Street, Buckland, was acquitted.
Another alleged conspirator, Benjamin Mills, 28, of Milton Road, Portsmouth, died before the first trial.