Three men from the Midlands plead guilty to drug offences in Swindon

The group were stopped in July 2020

Police car
Author: Olivia MounsorPublished 13th Jul 2022

Three men who travelled from the Midlands to sell drugs in Swindon have appeared in court.

Benjamin Hartshorne, 21, of Corbett Drive, Stoke Prior, Toby Sharp, 18, of Breakback Road, Bromsgrove and Ben Spares, 23, of Stinton Lea, Copcut, appeared at Swindon Crown Court on July 7 and pleaded guilty to multiple drug offences.

On July 19, 2020, a BMW was sighted in Tadpole Garden Village before driving at speed towards Oakhurst Way.

PC Sean Williams followed the vehicle and a black bag was seen to be thrown from the vehicle near Voyager Drive. A PCSO who was in the area seized the bag while PC Williams followed the vehicle and stopped it in Oakhurst Way.

The three occupants were detained, and more than ÂŁ1,000 cash was seized from a wallet. The discarded black bag was found to contain a large amount of cannabis.

Hartshorne was charged with being concerned in the supply of LSD and cannabis. Spares was charged with being concerned in the supply of cannabis and acquire/use/possess criminal property and Sharp was charged with being concerned in the supply of LSD and cannabis.

PC Sean Williams said: “These three men had been in Swindon for just six minutes before being spotted by myself. They attempted to speed off before discarding of a black bin bag full of cannabis. Fingerprint analysis on the packaging came back to Spares and subsequent phone downloads located messages relating to the supply of drugs within Worcestershire and the surrounding areas.

“Following a lengthy investigation with assistance from specialist financial investigators, all three pleaded guilty to the charges.

“As Neighbourhood officers, we are always out and about looking for suspicious activity in the area. I cannot do my role as effectively without the help of the local community, so if you see something that doesn’t seem quite right in your neighbourhood, please call 101 or use our online reporting tool.”

The three men will be sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on September 20.

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