County lines dealer jailed for Midlands operation

A county lines drugs trafficker who ran two "lines" across the midlands has been jailed for three years.

Kieran Staff, 40, helped to supply cocaine and heroin in West Bromwich, Nottingham and Sleaford over a three month period between April and June.

Lincoln Crown Court heard he was arrested on 11 June after running the drugs operation at an address in Dudley Street, West Bromwich. However, no drugs or cash was found.

Staff, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin.

Prosecutor Phil Howes told the court an analysis of two phones showed 15 different days where the Class A drugs were advertised and his movements between West Bromwich, Nottingham and Sleaford.

Threats were also made to runners from those phones, Mr Howes said.

Staff's primary role was to stay in the West Midlands and run the two lines but on the final occasion he was spotted in Sleaford, the court heard.

His arrest came following an investigation led by the Metropolitan Police.

The 40-year-old entered his guilty pleas on a basis that he was addicted to both cannabis and cocaine at the time of his offending and had run up a £5,000 debt to his dealers which he needed to repay, the court was told.

Stefan Fox, his defence barrister, said: "It is not his chain which he is operating, but he is doing it for others.

"There are others higher up the totem pole than him."

Mr Fox told the court the defendant has "significant difficulties" and had "spent three years working in the West Midlands, with his family, but then regressed".

Passing sentence, Recorder Graham Huston said the county lines trafficker was "in charge of the blue line comprising of two phones".

He told Staff: "You took orders and organised runners and occasionally visited the locations in Sleaford.

"You were prepared to threaten violence when things did not go your way."

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