Drug dealers sentenced after Banbury house raid

Three men have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms for supplying Class A drugs from a Banbury flat.

On October 8, 2015, police raided an address in West Street, Banbury and arrested five males at the address after witnessing clothing being thrown from a top floor window.

The clothing was located and over 100 individual wraps of both crack cocaine and heroin were found inside a package inside it.

At Oxford Crown Court, three of those men have been sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment for supplying heroin and crack cocaine in Oxfordshire after pleading guilty on February 8.

Two other men are wanted for the same offences.

Lawrence Morgan, aged 20, of Crompton Close, Birmingham, was sentenced on February 8 to two years - to run consecutively to a sentence currently being served of five years and eight months (for possession of a firearm, ammunition and drugs).

Dior Jackson, aged 18, of Bond Way, Cannock was sentenced on March 2 to four years to be served in a Young Offenders Institute due to being 17 years-of-age at the time of the offences.

Ormani Bernard-Sewell, aged 21, of Sturge Close, Birmingham was sentenced on February 8 to four years plus a further three months for a bladed article offence in Birmingham

Mohammed Ali, aged 20, of Ventnor Avenue, Birmingham, is wanted for sentencing after failing to appear at Oxford Crown Court on March 2 having pleaded guilty at the same court on February 8. A court warrant is out for his arrest.

Naasir Francis, aged 18, of Denby Close, Birmingham is wanted for failing to appear at court and a court warrant is out for his arrest. He was charged with the offences on July 26 2016.

Investigating officer Det Con Leanne Narbett of Banbury Police station said: “The Judge at Oxford Crown, His Honour Ross said of Morgan and Bernard-Sewell ‘both played significant roles motivated by financial advantage’. He recognised that so-called county lines of drugs supply are ‘real and prevalent’ in Oxfordshire and said that ‘they were part of such a gang and the purpose was undoubtedly to deal drugs in a commercial drug dealing operation’.

“I would like to thank West Midlands police who assisted me greatly during this investigation and also Paradigm housing in Banbury for their support at the time of the warrant.

“We want to emphasize that anyone who gets involved in drug supply at whatever level in the chain runs the risk of being convicted and as HHJ Ross said cannot expect sentences other than those imposed in this case.

“We will continue to work tirelessly to stop those people coming to Oxfordshire purely for the purpose of targeting those vulnerable within the community and bringing misery to the area with the supply of drugs.”