Ammar Hroub, 25, from St Leonards, has been locked up for five years for supplying heroin and crack cocaine as part of a ruthless county lines drug network. The court heard how he topped up a phone used to run the operation and was caught red-handed with the drugs in a car linked to him, Sussex Police revealed.
Caught Red-Handed with £1,770 of Heroin and Crack
- Police uncovered 71 wraps of crack cocaine and 59 wraps of diamorphine (heroin) in a BMW tied to Hroub.
- They also found 470g of loose heroin, worth around £1,770, along with £390 cash and MDMA on Hroub himself.
- His DNA was on the drug packaging, and phone data showed his personal mobile and the drug phone travelled together between East Sussex, Kent, and London on many occasions during the crime spree.
County Lines Network Busted After Police Hack Drug User’s Phone
Sussex Police cracked the case in summer 2023 by analyzing a drug user’s phone. They found a number blasting out drug marketing messages over 200 times between November 2022 and August 2023. CCTV footage captured Hroub topping up the phone at a St Leonards shop.
Claims Denied but Jury Unanimous: Hroub Guilty
Despite denying involvement – alleging someone else used his phone and car – a jury unanimously convicted Hroub of drug supply offences. He was cleared of possessing criminal property.
“His defence claimed the drug phone, vehicle, and messages weren’t his, but the jury rejected these excuses,” said Sussex Police.
Lewes Crown Court sentenced Hroub to five years in jail. The judge ordered all drugs and phones to be destroyed, and the seized money to be split between charity and Sussex Police.
