Members of a drugs gang have been jailed for their part in a heroin and crack cocaine plot linking London and Exeter.

Police smashed the county lines supply network and seized drugs destined for the streets of the city.

Three men have been put behind bars and two others given suspended sentences at Exeter Crown Court.

Alieu Manga, 20, Tyrese Watson, 19, and Joshua Lebbie, 20, all from London, were arrested in May 2017 having travelled from the capital to Exeter.

They paid addict James Trowbridge, 41, from Kettering to drive them to the South West.

Once in Exeter they used Philip Sheppard, 38, as the local link. He agreed to allow the gang to use his home in Vaughan Road as their base to supply the drugs onto the streets of Exeter.

Police seized street-ready deals of heroin and crack cocaine worth £2,000.

County Lines is the organised supply of heroin and crack cocaine from larger urban cities in the UK to smaller rural and coastal locations.

Typically gangs use a single phone number to advertise deals and arrange delivery to local addicts.

Manga had possession of two mobile phones both linking him to the London supply chain and arranging the journey with Trowbridge. He also had a large kitchen knife and small pieces of paper with the telephone number written on them to be handed out like business cards.

Watson and Lebbie had phones linked to Manga and drug price lists.

Exeter Crown Court was told Sheppard willingly allowed his home to be used and he was not a victim of cuckooing.

Watson, Manga and Sheppard all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A, but were found guilty at trial.

Watson was jailed for two years and six months; Manga for three years and 10 months and Sheppard for two years and 10 months.

Lebbie and Trowbridge pleaded guilty to their part in the conspiracy. They were each given a suspended two-year sentence and told to do 180 hours of unpaid work.

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Afterwards PC Andy Boundy, pro-active team Exeter, East and Mid Devon, said: “The result shows that those individuals responsible for county lines drug supply are actively targeted within Exeter, Mid and East Devon.

"Including those local individuals who are willing to allow their premises to be used in the supply operation.

County lines drugs gangs

County Lines involves the supply of Class A drugs from the major cities - mainly London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham - to the smaller towns and cities of England and Wales.

The line refers to the single phone number used by the gang to advertise drugs and organise the sale. Each phone number is given a brand name like Mitch or Rico.

The dealers arrive in a town with ready-wrapped deals and immediately start to advertise to their client base. A G-pack or Grand pack refers to a £1,000 of drugs.

A typical message might read 'Best of both, 24/7', referring to heroin and cocaine. The gang uses the same marketing strategy as a large company might do. Three or four messages a day to hundreds of people at a time. Up to £5,000 can be taken in a day.

The gang will use local runners, addicts or in some cases vulnberable teenagers from the big cities to deliver drugs to users.

As the big city drug operation moves in, the smaller community suffers. Houses are often taken over or 'cuckooed' by gang members who are unknown to local police or the community. They will direct operations from a base for two or three days before moving on. Sometimes the cuckoo-ed are paid in drugs.

County lines is now the preferred method of choice for gangs looking for a lucrative share of Exeter's drugs market.

"Where the circumstances and evidence allow we will always try to prosecute and convict everyone involved, as those who actively allow their premises to be used in the local area are a key part of an operation in supplying Class A drugs onto our streets.

"The sentences of the three men from London in this case were somewhat limited due to their young age when the offence was committed, one was 17 years old and the other two only just 18 years old.

"This investigation was instigated by a call from a member of the public with concerns about drug supply, anyone with information on potential class A drug supply is encouraged to contact the police.”