A man busted for selling drugs in a so-called 'county line' operation has been jailed. Police acting on intelligence searched a home in Weston-super-Mare and found Peter Busulwa living in a boiler cupboard.
Evidence from phones gathered at the scene confirmed he and another man were dealing drugs from the premises as part of criminal drug gang's the Marco Line enterprise. Busulwa, 33, whose address was given as Orchid Close in Kewstoke, pleaded guilty to jointly being concerned in the supply of Class A drug crack cocaine between March 1 and April 5 2019. He also admitted possessing cannabis for personal use.
Judge Moira Macmillan jailed him for 12 months. She told Busulwa: "You were a Class A drug dealer and you were very much in debt." A hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act, to claw back any ill-gotten gains, was adjourned.
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Emma Martin, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court police found Busulwa in the cupboard and he told them he was sleeping there. He was found to have £175 in his shorts as well as £800 and a 'burner' phone in a wallet.
The phone linked to him was found to have sent out bulk messages advertising the sale of Class A drugs. Another man - who faces trial next year - was said to have a phone linked to dealing and police established 23 known drug users from the phones' 50 contacts.
There was also evidence of a known drug user offering their assistance in the operation. The court heard Busulwa had been previously jailed for drug supply.
Matheos Lefteris, defending, said his client was dealing under intimidation to pay off a drug debt. He said Busulwa had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being the victim of a hammer attack in 2016 when he sustained a fractured skull.
The court heard Busulwa had gained painting and decorating skills on remand and was part of a team renovating prison cells.
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