Pair jailed after £250k drugs and weapons bust in Southampton
Heroin, cocaine and guns were found inside a property in the city
Two men have been jailed for a combined 29 years after police found heroin, cocaine and guns inside a house in Southampton.
Police discovered the drugs, which had a street value of around £250,000, inside bags at an address in Old Redbridge Road in January 2021.
They also found three double-barrelled sawn-off shotguns and three revolvers.
34-year-old Max Craig Alexander, of no fixed address, was described in Southampton Crown Court as being the ringleader of the plot to transport Class A substances into the city from Liverpool.
The court heard he was supported by Stuart Marcus Forrest, 24, of Lyburn Close in Southampton, and Steven and Suezanne Forrest, 56 and 48, of Cromer Road in Southampton.
The investigation, which was run by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary as Operation Boheme, coincided with Operation Venetic, an international operation targeting criminals using a mobile encryption service, commonly referred to as EncroChat, to evade detection.
Alexander had already pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to Operation Venetic charges including attempting to acquire a prohibited firearm, attempting to acquire ammunition without a firearm certificate, attempting to possess ammunition when prohibited, and to six counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine. He further pleaded guilty to additional counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He was found not guilty by the jury of conspiracy to possess a firearm without a firearm certificate and conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms.
Steven Forrest and Suezanne Forrest were found guilty of conspiring to supply heroin and cocaine and conspiring to transfer criminal property.
Stuart Marcus Forrest had already previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to possess a prohibited firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm without a certificate, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
Alexander and Stuart Forrest appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Monday 7th), where they were sentenced to 15 years and 14 years in prison respectively.
Steven Forrest and Suezanne Forrest will be sentenced in November.
Southampton Chief Inspector Chris Douglas said:
“Offenders who traffic and peddle drugs around Southampton and across the UK don’t care about the harm they bring to our communities or the lives that are destroyed by addiction.
“The sentencing of Alexander and his co-defendants sends out a clear message that the activities of those who think that they can bring illegal drugs into our city will not be tolerated.
“Tackling drug related harm is an absolute priority for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, as the supply of drugs is often connected to other offences such as high levels of violence, or even the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable adults and children, which is why we relentlessly pursue those involved.
"These sentences demonstrate very clearly that we will not tolerate the supply of drugs in Hampshire & on the Isle of Wight.
"If you are involved in activity like this, we will find you and bring you to justice."