Roughly £20,000 of heroin and cocaine off streets after man arrested

An estimated £20,000 worth of heroin and cocaine is off the streets and the man responsible for their potential distribution is behind bars.

Karl Weatherstone has been jailed for three years after pleading guilty to possession of controlled drugs with intent to supply.

The 30-year-old was arrested on March 11 after a targeted warrant was carried out, and a search of his property on Linslade Walk uncovered a large quantity of cocaine and heroin.

Since the haul, an estimated value of £20,000 has been attributed to the haul.

The search also uncovered upwards of £1,450 as well as drug packaging, several mobile phones and drug paraphernalia.

Weatherstone was subsequently arrested and charged with possession with intent to supply and pleaded guilty.

The 30-year-old appeared at Newcastle Crown Court and was sentenced to three years in prison.

The warrant was part of an operation to crack down on drug supply in the region.

Detective Inspector Katie Smith, one of the leading officers on the investigation, said: “This has been an outstanding piece of police work by the investigation team, from the intelligence gathering, the execution of the warrant and the subsequent search of the property.

“Collectively this has ensured a strong case against the defendant which secured a successful outcome at court.

“Hopefully this sends a firm message that work to tackle drug supply in our communities will not stop and we have intelligence coming in every day helping us target offenders.”