Man, 25, caught supplying cocaine in West Sussex with knuckle duster also seized

A driver was caught supplying cocaine in Sussex. Callum Stuart, from Horley, Surrey, was stopped by police officers in East Grinstead. They found a large sum of cash inside the grey Audi S3 he was driving.

Following further searches, cocaine worth an estimated £100,000 and £43,000 in cash was seized from a home where he was staying. Weapons including a knife and knuckle duster were also seized.

At Lewes Crown Court, the 25-year-old was sentenced on Friday, November 15. The court was told how Specialist Enforcement Unit officers were on patrol when they stopped the Audi in Stoneleigh Close on January 10, 2022.

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Stuart, formerly a sports trainer of Greenfields Road, Horley, told officers that he had a knife and knuckle duster in his bag claiming that he had found the items earlier, herbal cannabis was also found.

The discovery of the weapons and drugs during the search resulted in Stuart's arrest. Two other men and a woman were also in the car at the time, and £1,500 was found in the glovebox.

A further search at an address in London Road, East Grinstead, where Stuart was linked to, found 1.2 kilograms of cocaine and £43,000 in cash.

Drugs paraphernalia, burner phones and documents detailing drug supply were also found.

After an investigation by Horsham Community Investigation Team, Stuart was charged with six offences.

These were being concerned in the supply of a class A drug (namely cocaine), two counts of acquiring, using or possession criminal property (known as money laundering), possession of cannabis, and two counts of possession of an offensive weapon in public (namely a knife and a knuckleduster).

Stuart pleaded guilty to all six charges and was sentenced to four years in prison.

Speaking after the case, Detective Inspector Gary Jacobs said: “SEU officers routinely patrol the road network with the intention of disrupting criminal networks using the roads here in Sussex.

“We are determined to disrupt the supply of drugs, and other organised criminality, which cause so much harm in our communities.

“Following the investigation by our CIT team, Stuart had no choice but to plead guilty when the case went to court.

“We are pleased that this has been reflected in a significant custodial sentence in court.”