London drug dealer caught making trips to Old Portsmouth is jailed for over 6 years

Jamie Gregory, 43, of West Barnes Lane, London, admitted supplying crack cocaine and heroin, and possessing criminal property.

Gregory was identified by Portsmouth’s Priority Crime Team as being the line holder for the ‘DAN’ drugs network operating in Portsmouth. He was making regular trips to an address in Old Portsmouth and other known addresses in the city. 

Police were on the hunt for Gregory and attended Petersfield train station and subsequently recovered Class A drugs, cash, and the ‘DAN’ line mobile phone from a train carriage - but Gregory had already made off. 

The Metropolitan Police’s Operation Orochi team helped Hampshire officers to locate Gregory in Crawley on Tuesday 20 February this year. Again, he made off from police and was seen to take a package from his coat pocket and put his hand up to his mouth before running towards a toilet block. He was finally arrested shortly afterwards.

During the investigation by Hampshire police’s Operation Monument team, supported by the Metropolitan Police’s Operation Orochi team, crack cocaine and heroin was seized with more than £4,600 in cash recovered.

Gregory was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court following complex investigations into offences committed between November 2023 and February 2024. A forfeiture order was granted for all the items, including phones and cash, that were seized. He admitted being concerned in the supply of, and possession with intent to supply, both crack cocaine and heroin, and acquiring or possessing criminal property. He was jailed for six years and three months.

PC Sam Davy from Portsmouth’s Priority Crime Team said: “This is a significant sentence that demonstrates that we will not tolerate the supply of drugs in Portsmouth. The County Line was closed down by our investigation through successful joint working with a number of different teams. Our message to those involved in the supply of drugs is simple. We will relentlessly pursue you until you face a day in court if you take part in similar activities.

“Drug supply causes harm and misery to our communities and we will continue disrupting it and making sure that our city is a hostile environment for drug dealers to operate in. We encourage anyone who suspects drug related activity to be taking place in their neighbourhood to report it to us. Every piece of information helps us to build a stronger intelligence picture and allows us to take action.”

You can make a report by calling 101 or by visiting: www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/ Alternatively, you can report to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website https://crimestoppers-uk.org/