A Luton drug dealer has been jailed after he was caught with drugs and firearms as the force continues to crack down on serious organised crime.
Officers from the force’s guns and gangs team, Boson, carried out a drug warrant in December last year at a property in Luton where they discovered a large quantity of cannabis and other drug paraphernalia.
As part of their investigation, detectives carried out a raid on the Luton property, which was linked to 22-year-old Kieran Church.
Church was aware that the warrant was taking place and phoned an occupant of the property to enquire whether they would be seizing his car, which was parked at the location.
Following this conversation, officers obtained a warrant to search the vehicle, where a shotgun was found alongside two cartridges. Church was arrested shortly afterwards in another part of Luton, having initially tried to flee from officers.
A warrant carried out at a second address linked to Church found a small amount of cocaine, a number of phones, a bag of pills, more than £2,000 in cash, and other drugs. Under the mattress, Church had also concealed a handgun, which contained live ammunition.
Church of Acworth Crescent, Luton, was found guilty of one count of possession of firearms, one count of possession of a shotgun, two counts of possession of ammunition without a certificate, and one count of possession of a firearm when prohibited.
He was also found guilty of possession of Class A drug MDMA with intent to supply and possession of cannabis with intent to supply.
On Thursday (27 February), he was sentenced at Luton Crown Court to seven years and six months behind bars.
He also received a four-month sentence for possession of a bladed article.
Detective Constable Dave Elias, who led the operation, said, “We have removed two dangerous weapons from the streets of Bedfordshire alongside a vast quantity of drugs. We are continuing to tackle drug dealing in our county, as we know this behaviour is directly associated with much of the weapons and violence found on our streets.
“We are continuing to apply pressure and apprehend those illegally peddling drugs through our communities, and we will relentlessly pursue those involved.
“We want to continue to work with our communities to demonstrate that crime does not pay. We would like to remind our public of the importance of sharing what they know, see, and hear, so we can continue to build our intelligence picture and reduce criminality in a community.”
