Grimsby men involved in drug-dealing operation locked up

Two Grimsby men involved in a drug-dealing operation have been locked up. One of them also waved a 12-inch knife in a Grimsby nightclub before attempting to steal a car from his girlfriend's mother, a court heard. Jake Clarke, 19, of Evesham Avenue, Grimsby, pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a knife and attempted robbery of a car in Abbey Road, Grimsby, on May 1 last year.

At Grimsby Crown Court, he also admitted four counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs in November last year. Joshua Deakins, 21, of Spring Bank, Grimsby, pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. Clarke, appeared on a prison video link and said "Oh, s**t" when proceedings started.



He later laughed as the sentencing hearing got underway and later yawned repeatedly as the evidence was read. Prosecuting, Oliver Shipley told how staff at The Fusion nightclub, in Victoria Street, called police when Clarke was seen waving the knife around in a jealous rage because his girlfriend was speaking to other men. Later, his distressed girlfriend called her mother to come and pick her up.

The mother saw her daughter being dragged along Abbey Road by Clarke, who was intoxicated and shouted: "Give me the car key. I need to get away from here. I'm going down for years.

You don't understand. I'm going to slash you up. You don't know what I am capable of.

" He damaged the rear light and a passenger window. The incident lasted around 15 minutes before he was arrested by police. Mr Shipley told how, while he was on bail for that offence, Clarke was involved in drug dealing.

An investigation was launched in summer 2024 after officers identified that an organised crime group had been operating a county lines drugs network in Grimsby. Extensive enquiries led to officers identifying an address on Spring Bank in Grimsby which was suspected to be connected to a drugs line known as "AJ”. With enough evidence gathered, on Thursday, September 5 last year, Humberside Police officers executed a search warrant at the address on Spring Bank.

During extensive searches carried out by specialist teams from the Southbank Kinetic Team and CSI, officers recovered mobile phones and a knotted plastic wrap containing heroin, valued at approximately £600 from the address. As officers continued their search of the property, a red shoe box was found in the kitchen loft. Upon opening the box, officers seized seven knotted plastic wraps of heroin, valued by a Drugs Expert Witness at approximately £8,400.

Joshua Deakins was subsequently arrested at the address on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. Further phone data analysis uncovered evidence of drug-related activities. A phone belonging to Deakins contained a detailed list of drug debts owed by users, along with messages referencing the process of packaging drugs and expressing reluctance to continue doing so.

Analysis revealed that it was used to send bulk text messages advertising the sale of crack cocaine and heroin. Additional messages found on the device were related to the supply of cocaine. Forensic analysis of the red shoebox recovered from Spring Bank revealed fingerprints matching Clarke's, further underlining his connection to the criminal activities.

Following enquiries carried out by officers into Clarke and Deakins' activities, officers were led to an address on Heneage Road in Grimsby. Upon entering the property, officers seized a mobile phone and a disposable phone, devices commonly linked to drug dealing, alongside a bag containing wraps of Class A drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin. Clarke was found at the address and was arrested at the property on suspicion of being involved in the supply of Class A drugs.

Dealer lists were then later uncovered in the notes section of a phone seized from Clarke. The phone analysis showed that the AJ drug line was used to send daily messages advertising drugs for sale, ranging from 80 to as many as 400 bulk messages, said the prosecutor. Deakins and Clarke were subsequently charged and were remanded to appear at Grimsby Crown Court on Tuesday, January 28.

Deakins was already subject to a 20-month prison sentence suspended for two years for supply of drugs. For Clarke, Richard Butters said his client's offences were out of character. Judge Richard Woolfall said: "He went off in the deep end.

" Mr Butters said his client had "pulled his neck in" and there were positive aspects for his future. For Deakins, Craig Lowe said: "He is massively sorry and he regrets it. He wants to move away from Grimsby.

" Judge Woolfall told Clarke: "People of your age, all too frequently are carrying dangerous knives around. You were intoxicated. It is a dangerous combination.

" Clarke was given four years and five months in a young offenders institution while Deakins was jailed for three years. After the hearing, Detective Constable Jane Hardie of Humberside Police said: “We are committed to tackling drug dealing in our area and will take a proactive approach in conducting warrants and putting offenders behind bars. Investigating and tackling serious and organised crime remains a priority for us, and I’m reassured that Clarke and Deakins are now off our streets and being punished for their crimes.

" Join the FREE Grimsby Live WhatsApp Community Get all the latest stories, sent straight to your WhatsApp - all you need to do is click the link . We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.

If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . Detective Inspector Tom Kelly from the Kinetic Organised Crime Team added: “I hope today’s sentencing serves as a stark warning to those who think it’s okay to possess and supply drugs in our communities. “From the established work with our partners, neighbourhood policing teams and the Kinetic Organised Crime Group Team, supported by information from members of the public, we were able to gather the information to show where Deakins and Clarke were undertaking their criminal activities.

“We work relentlessly to disrupt and dismantle organised crime groups operating within our area, and I would like to thank our colleagues and partnering agencies for their continued support not only throughout the entirety of the investigation, but all the work they do to make a real difference and help take drugs off our streets. “We investigate all information that we receive, and we would like to reassure members of the public that whilst you may not see immediate action, the information you provide helps us build the bigger picture of evidence to have the best possible chance of a sentence like we’ve seen here. "Please keep talking to us if you have any information about drug-related or other crimes in your community.

You can report via our non-emergency number 101 or report information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.".