Heroin dealers jailed after two-year inquiry

Brian Dooks

THREE heroin dealers have been jailed for a total of more than 16 years after a two-year investigation by North Yorkshire Police.

Alfred Dear, 36, of James Street, York, and Tommy Lee Tunney, 27, of Outgang Lane, Osbaldwick, York, were each sentenced to seven years for the supply of heroin, the joint supply of heroin and possession of heroin with the intent to supply.

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Kenneth Barker, 45, of Elston Close, York, was imprisoned for two-and-a-half years for possession of heroin with the intent to supply. All three were sentenced at York Crown Court.

Officers from North Yorkshire Police began an intensive investigation into the criminal activities of Dear and Tunney in April 2008. Both are from the travelling community and police say they have a well established network of friends and associates, making the investigation into their lifestyles and the gathering of evidence a difficult task.

After much work, officers were able to present evidence to the court that Dear and Tunney had been supplying heroin throughout April and May 2008 from a caravan site in York.

In May 2008 police recovered 60 grams of heroin from a stash near the same caravan site. The find resulted in Dear and Tunney changing their methods of drug dealing, prompting the investigation team to regroup.

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Their patience paid off on January 26, 2009, when all three defendants were arrested in possession of a quarter of a kilogram of heroin each – worth approximately 15,000. This allowed the police team to present a detailed case to the court.

Det Insp Steve Smith of York CID, said: “These three men have been sentenced for their involvement in the supply of heroin within York.

“The fact that no evidence has been discovered nor offered by the defence that either Dear or Tunney were users of the drug, gives a clear indication of their approach to dealing heroin.

“They are indifferent to the circumstances of those who find themselves addicted to the drug and they treat the drugs they sell and the people they sell them to as commodities.

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“The timescale over which they have been convicted of supplying heroin shows their level of involvement and gives an indication to the protracted and complex nature of the police investigation that was necessary to gather the evidence presented to the court.

“The heavy prison sentences are the result of almost two years of dedicated work by the investigation team. Drug dealing and the knock-on effects it has on crime cannot be tolerated.”