Jail for man caught with 250 Class C tablets – Yorkshire

A man who was found in possession of 250 tablets of Class C status has been jailed for six months following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

He was stopped and searched by BTP County Lines Taskforce officers at Bridlington railway station in December 2019. 

Joshua Ingham, 24, and of St Andrew Road, Bridlington, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply controlled drugs of Class C at Kingston-upon-Hull Crown Court on 18 December 2020.

On Wednesday 14 April 2021, a judge sentenced him to six months in prison. He was also ordered to pay a victim surcharge or £149.

At just after 1pm on 9 December 2019, officers from BTP’s County Lines Taskforce at Bridlington railway station observed Ingham being handed money by another man in exchange for a small white packet of tablets.

Officers approached Ingham and he was stopped and searched under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act.

The searching officer discovered Ingham was carrying strips of tablets, many of which had been cut into smaller strips.

He was subsequently arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a substance of Class C and taken to police custody for questioning where he replied “no comment” to all questions put to him.

Forensic analysis of the tablets found in Ingham’s possession revealed that 204 were Diazepam, often referred to as Valium, and 46 were Zopiclone. The drugs had an approximate street value of £250.

BTP County Lines Taskforce Detective Constable, Gavin Keenan, said: “Credit for this successful conviction goes to the officers at Bridlington station that day, who spotted Ingham’s suspicious behaviour from afar and seized a large quantity of drugs.

“It’s all part of the Taskforce’s daily proactive work to make the rail network a hostile environment for this type of activity to take place.

“I am thankful to the courts for handing Ingham a sentence behind bars where he will have time to rethink his criminal activity.

“Everyone that uses and works across the rail network has a vital role to play in being our eyes and ears, and I would to encourage anyone who sees something that doesn’t look right to report it to us. You can do this by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40.”