Ammar Hroub, 25, from St Leonards, has been jailed for five years for running heroin and crack cocaine supplies in a nasty county lines drug racket. Sussex Police revealed how he was caught red-handed with the stash in a car linked to him and topping up a phone used to run the operation.
£1,770 Worth of Heroin and Crack Found in BMW
- Officers discovered 71 wraps of crack cocaine and 59 wraps of heroin inside a BMW tied to Hroub.
- They also seized 470g of loose heroin, worth about £1,770, plus £390 in cash and MDMA on Hroub himself.
- His DNA was found on the drug packaging, and phone data showed his personal mobile and the drug phone moved together frequently across East Sussex, Kent, and London during the crime spree.
County Lines Operation Unraveled After Police Hack User’s Phone
In summer 2023, Sussex Police cracked the case after hacking a drug user’s phone. They flagged a number blasting out drug-marketing texts over 200 times between November 2022 and August 2023. CCTV caught Hroub topping up the phone at a St Leonards shop.
Denied All Charges but Jury Didn’t Buy It
Hroub denied involvement, claiming someone else used his phone and car. But the jury saw through the excuses, unanimously convicting him 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 handed down a five-year sentence. The judge ordered all drugs and phones destroyed and the seized cash split between charity and Sussex Police.
