Undercover officer helps smash crack cocaine ring
A CRACK cocaine dealer claimed he was kissed and cuddled by an undercover police officer during a sting to smash a drugs supply network, a court heard.
Peter Stead fell for the female officer, code-named Jo, and believed he was getting into a relationship with her.
Stead, nicknamed Stagger, had no idea she was a police officer when he set up deals for the woman, who referred to herself as “Stagger’s lass”.
Newcastle Crown Court heard the 34-year-old put the covert cop in touch with suppliers who sold her crack on seven separate occasions.
Stead admitted conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and was jailed for 29 months.
After Stead and others were jailed for their part in the conspiracy, Northumbria Police said “all officers involved in this case conducted themselves with the utmost professionalism and acted within the confines of their role”.
Gordon Ellis, 57, of Fernville Square, Sunderland, who supplied the crack cocaine directly to Jo, as well as other users, on nine occasions, also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine.
He has two previous convictions for supplying class A drugs and was locked up for five years and seven months. The judge said Ellis, who is a married grandad, poses a low risk to the public but he knew the chance he was taking when he got involved in drugs for a third time.
Prosecutor Mark Guiliani said the police operation was set up to target drug supply in Sunderland.
He added: “As part of that operation, the police deployed an undercover police officer, who has been referred to as Jo, posing as a user and addict of Class A drugs.
“She befriended local users and through them managed to find out who was supplying them with drugs.”
Lee Halcrow, 42, of Beach Road, South Shields, was jailed for one day for being concerned in the supply of the class A drug in relation to helping the undercover officer buy drugs on one occasion.