A MAN from Reading has been sentenced to more than five years’ imprisonment following a Thames Valley Police investigation into drug offences.
Lewis Barton, aged 39 and of Upton Road, was sentenced at a hearing at Reading Crown Court on Friday, April 14.
He was handed five years, seven months’ imprisonment after pleading guilty to two counts of possession of a class A drug with intent to supply, one each for cocaine and heroin.
He also pleaded guilty to a count of possession of criminal property when presented with the charges at a hearing in November last year.
It follows an incident on October 12 last year, while Barton was a passenger in a car stopped in Hanover Court, Reading.
Police officers detained him and searched him under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act, and he was found to be in possession of 19 warps of cocaine and heroin, as well as over £1,000 in cash.
A further search of a property in Upton Road uncovered more cocaine and heroin, with an overall estimated street value of around £1,900.
He was arrested on the same day, and charged on October 13.
Investigating officer, Detective Constable Aimee Usher, of the Reading Stronghold Team, said: “Our Stronghold team will proactively and robustly target and prosecute offenders, using both visible and covert activity aimed at disrupting and pursuing offenders involved in the supply of drugs.
“The information from the public around drug supply in Reading plays an important role in developing intelligence into a proactive investigation.
“If you have any information we would encourage you to report it to us by calling 101 or through the online reporting tool on the Thames Valley Police website.”
