Teen Drug Dealers Nabbed in Peterborough Crackdown
Early Morning Bust Uncovers Drugs and ‘Deal Line’ Phone
Just after midnight on October 12 last year, police in Peterborough stumbled on a major drug operation. Officers, searching for a missing person around 1 a.m., spotted an Audi A4 parked with its engine running in St Michael’s Gate.
Inside were 20-year-old Patrik Kotlar behind the wheel and 19-year-old Robert Facuna in the passenger seat. Two teenage boys were in the back.
Drugs, Cash, and Deal Bags Found in Raided Car and Flat
Police found Kotlar with a mobile phone and SIM card linked to large-scale drug dealing across Peterborough. Facuna had around £220 worth of cannabis and a phone suggesting deep involvement in the trade.
Crack cocaine and heroin worth about £840 were stashed in the Audi. A hidden coat pocket in a fridge contained a make-up bag filled with small plastic “deal bags” and nearly £3,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine.
A strip search of Facuna uncovered nearly £2,680 in crack cocaine hidden in his boxer shorts.
County Line ‘Predator’ Operation Exposed
The mobile phone analysis revealed the main contact number for the “Predator” county line drug operation running through Peterborough. Facuna and Kotlar admitted possession with intent to supply class A drugs. Facuna also pleaded guilty to cannabis possession.
The three teenage boys were released but remain under investigation.
Court Sentences at Cambridge Crown Court
On June 9, Kotlar was handed a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years. Facuna received a one-year-and-nine-month suspended sentence. Both men were described as key players in the Predator line at such a young age.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing an increase in the number of young people being drawn into cross-county drug dealing,” said Detective Constable Claire Atkinson.
“If members of the public have concerns about a young person, I would encourage them to speak up because help is available before it reaches this stage.”
