Man jailed in police crackdown on drug dealing and human trafficking

Police arrested Jamie Payne, as part of Operation Hypernova, on 20 March at his home, in Fitzwilliam Street, Peterborough.

Inside his flat they found £300 cash, a mobile phone, drug paraphernalia and designer clothes and shoes worth thousands of pounds.

A further £3,370 in cash and a small amount of cannabis was also recovered from an address linked to Payne, in St Ives Road, Woodhurst.

Investigations revealed explicit drug related content on his phone as well as messages to another dealer telling him to send out bulk messages to drug users.

At Huntingdon Crown Court on Tuesday (17 June), Payne was sentenced to five years and ten months after previously pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and cannabis.

Detective Constable Jeremy Turner, who investigated, said: “Payne is the latest drug dealer to be jailed as part of this operation and marks another significant step in our continuing work to tackle county lines networks and the exploitation that comes with them.

“These groups cause immense harm, not only through the drugs they supply, but by preying on vulnerable people to sell drugs for them.

“We remain committed to bringing these offenders to justice and safeguarding those at risk of exploitation.”

Operation Hypernova 3 took place in March and saw 50 county lines dismantled and 35 people charged with more than 100 drug and human trafficking offences.