London thug convicted of supplying Hastings with crack cocaine and heroin

A convicted drug dealer who commuted daily from London to Hastings to distribute class A substances has been jailed.

Joel Henry was sentenced on Thursday, April 25, for being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

A four-day trial followed at Chichester Crown Court where a jury found him guilty of the offences.

The court heard that when he was arrested in St Leonards on November 8, Henry was found to be in possession of an incendiary mobile phone.

Analysis of the data showed the 40-year-old traveled daily between his home in Lakeview Road, Lambeth, London, and Hastings to deal with vulnerable street users.

Further examination revealed that he sent bulk messages advertising the sale of crack cocaine and heroin.

Following the guilty verdict, Henry was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Investigator Julian Stokes, from the ADDER Project team, said:

“This was another successful joint investigation to bring down a drug dealer who was pedaling dangerous Class A drugs from the streets of Hastings and St Leonards by officers Op Orochi from the Metropolitan Police, Sussex Police and Surrey Police Op Centurion and officers from the ADDER Project based in Hastings. .

“Henry already had two previous convictions for the supply of class A drugs and therefore this third conviction meant he was handed a mandatory seven-year prison sentence.

“We will continue to identify County Lines and those selling these dangerous class A drugs within our community and stop them. Henry’s conviction shows how seriously the courts take those who ride Class A on our streets.”