Basingstoke drug dealer found with cocaine and more than £31,000 in cash in his BMW on A30 jailed for six years

By Freddie Webb
Published 18th Jul 2022, 14:16 BST
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A DRUG dealer has been jailed for six years after cocaine and cash was found in his car.

Lawrence Hutchinson, 30, was stopped by police in Basingstoke as he was seen driving erratically.

His BMW was pulled over on February 27 last year, on the A30 near the Wheatsheaf Pub.

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Lawrence Hutchinson, 30, of Fullers Hill, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, has been jailed for six years for supplying cocaine. Picture: Hampshire Constabulary.Lawrence Hutchinson, 30, of Fullers Hill, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, has been jailed for six years for supplying cocaine. Picture: Hampshire Constabulary.
Lawrence Hutchinson, 30, of Fullers Hill, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, has been jailed for six years for supplying cocaine. Picture: Hampshire Constabulary.

Officers found a bag of white powder in the driver’s door.

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They also discovered £30,810 in cash, wrapped in elastic bands and hidden in a Tesco carrier bag.

Further searches uncovered a piece of cardboard with a deal list written on it, several burner phones, an Encrophone, and £360 in cash.

The white powder was found to be cocaine.

Hutchinson, of Fullers Hill, Little Gransden, Cambridgeshire, was arrested and charged with being concerned in the supply of a class A drug, possession of a class A drug and possession of criminal property.

He pleaded guilty to all three counts at Winchester Crown Court, on May 18.

He has now been sentenced to six years in prison.

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The court ruled he was responsible for supplying 6kg of import grade cocaine.

A confiscation hearing will take place later for the money that was seized.

Hutchinson also admitted to driving with a proportion of a specified controlled drug in his system.

This was above the specified limit, and happened when he was stopped last year.

He received a 16-month driving ban.

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SEE ALSO: Leigh Park murder investigation: Two women arrested after body of man found in Botley Drive

Detective Constable Sam Grant, from the Northern Criminal Investigations Department, said: ‘I hope that this sentence sends out a strong message to drug dealers and those involved in drug deal networks, that offences of this kind will not be tolerated in Hampshire.

‘This investigation came about as a result of some really good proactive work, in spotting and then stopping the car, by officers from Hampshire Constabulary’s Joint Operations Unit.

‘We regularly carry out proactive work to target drug dealers who operate in this area.

‘We are encouraging the public to continue to provide information to us about any issues and suspected drug activity in your area so that we can build a stronger picture of what is taking place and identify the areas to target.’