Prison for Crawley man found with £13,500 of drugs in his home

Police say they conducted a warrant at the address of Matthew Stevens in Dobson Road, Crawley, after reports from members of the public regarding suspicious behaviour in the area was reported.

During the search on July 15 2016, officers found a quantity of cocaine, spice and drug paraphernalia.

Stevens, 44, was then arrested.

He was released under investigation and police say that the Crawley Investigation team began a long and complex analysis of items seized from the address.

Stevens was charged in May 2017 and pleaded not guilty to possession with intent to supply class A (cocaine), possession of a class B and possession with intent to supply a psychoactive substance (spice).

He stood trial at Hove Crown Court and on Friday November 2 Stevens was found guilty by a jury and sentenced to a total of four years.

Detective Constable Mark Buckley said: “Sussex Police diligently work to stop the supply of illegal drugs within our community.

“The presiding judge recognised the severity of Stevens’ actions and imposed a sentence representing that.

“We are conscientiously robustly tackling drug issues in Crawley and urge anyone who notices any suspicious behaviour to report it to us without delay.

“Let’s work together to make Crawley a safe place. No one knows their neighbourhoods better than residents themselves, so please get in touch if something seems out of place.”

See also: Two men convicted over Horsham and Crawley burglaries

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