Dealer jailed after twin police warrants

A drug dealer has been jailed after police found a stash of cocaine, heroin and cannabis at his former home.

Sean Hopps, aged 27, was arrested on the morning of 4 May 2023 as police executed a warrant at a property in Orange Gardens, The Meadows.

Acting on intelligence, the officers involved soon found a significant amount of cannabis and cash at the property.

Hopps claimed the cash wasn’t his and that the drugs were for personal use, but was not able to explain the presence of multiple wraps of cocaine and heroin found in a bag.

Several mobile phones were also recovered – one of which was found to contain a series of damning messages related to the sale of drugs.

Hopps was released on conditional bail but was repeatedly seen flouting an instruction to stay away from Orange Gardens.

Officers subsequently executed a second warrant on at the address on 24 August where further cannabis, scales and other evidence was recovered.

At this point Hopps made several significant statements to officers suggesting he was aware of the location of evidence found during the previous police visit.

Earlier this month (January) he pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying a Class A drug, and one count of supplying a class C drug.

Appearing at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday, Hopps, of HM Prison Five Wells, was jailed for three years and four months.

PC Luke Whittle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:

“The trade in illegal drugs has a significant impact on our local communities – an impact that can be measured in the harm they cause to often vulnerable people, and also the violent and acquisitive crime they help to fuel.

“That’s why it’s vital for us to identify people like Sean Hopps and hold them to account. I am pleased he has now been convicted for this offending and hope he will use his time behind bars to change the direction of his life.”