Three jailed over county town drugs operation
THREE men have been jailed for their part in a cocaine and heroin supply chain through Market Harborough.
Five people in total were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Thursday, April 27, in relation to a county lines drug operation discovered by police in 2020.
Kyane Reiss Jones, Brown Mujinga, Giovani Patrocinio, Kyle Watkins and Colleen Pickering appeared in court for their roles in the operation, which was uncovered by East Midlands Special Operations Unit.
From January to July 2020, detectives were able to prove Jones was running a county line in the town by sending out texts offering class A drugs for sale.
Orders placed were then delivered by Mujinga and Patrocinio, who were used by Jones as drug runners.
The pair used an address in Welland Park Road – the home of Pickering and Watkins at the time – as a base and place to store the drugs.
When officers searched the house, they found bags of cocaine and heroin, multiple phones, cash and scales used to weigh out the drugs.
Four of the group were sentenced on April 27 after pleading guilty to their offences.
Brown Mujinga, 20, of Burnmoor Street, Leicester, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to three years.
Giovani Patrocinio, 24, of Dunholme Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to three years.
Kyle Watkins, 25, of Redvers Avenue, Houghton on the Hill, pleaded guilty to allowing his premises to be used and was given a 12-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to undertake 80 hours of community service. Colleen Pickering, 44, of Western Avenue, Market Harborough, also pleaded guilty to allowing her premises to be used and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years.
She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service. The controller of the drug supply line, Kyane Reiss Jones, was sentenced in August 2022 to seven years and six months.
The 23-year-old, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He also admitted the offence of conspiracy to handle stolen goods after officers discovered that six cars in his possession between September 2019 and August 2020 were all stolen in the West Midlands. Detective Sergeant Lindsay O’Nion, from East Midlands Special Operations Unit (Emsou), said: “The five convicted ran a business-like operation and at the time were contributing to the sale of cocaine and heroin on the streets of Market Harborough.
“The evidence showing their involvement in this was overwhelming so I am pleased they have all pleaded guilty for their part and have been sentenced for their crimes. “Leicestershire and specialist officers in Emsou will continue our work to identify and prosecute those who supply drugs on our streets as we know the damage they can cause to our communities.”
THEY HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN THE SUPPLY OF HEROIN AND COCAINE
The five convicted ran a business-like operation... contributing to the sale of cocaine and heroin
Police