A man who preyed on a vulnerable woman and ran a drugs line out of her address in St Albans has been sentenced to five years and seven months’ imprisonment.
Sedric Smith, 46, of Connaught Road in Harrow, London, was handed the sentence last Wednesday (July 2) after being found guilty of possession of class A drugs following a trial in April.
St Albans Crown Court heard how he ran the ‘Dee’ or ‘D’ line across St Albans to sell heroin and cocaine over a four-month period, from June to October 2024. The judge took his previous offending into consideration, including two prison sentences for drug offences.
Following a drugs warrant in Dellfield in October last year, he was found with 50 wraps of crack cocaine, with a street value of about £1,000, along with cash, multiple phones and scales. He flushed the drugs down the toilet when officers arrived.
DC Jess Woodcock, from the St Albans Local Crime Unit, said: “Smith had a significant role in running the Dee drugs line. He came from London, cuckooed a local woman and moved into her home against her wishes to run his drugs business in St Albans. We worked closely with the Met Police who have a specialist operation looking at county lines called Operation Orochi.
“We have taken a well-used drugs line out of operation, making the area safer for our local communities and ensured safeguarding for the vulnerable woman.”
She added: “We would always encourage members of the public to let us know if they see people coming and going or acting suspiciously around an address – we may not be able to act straight away, but it could help us build up a picture of potential offending.”
You can report information about a crime online at herts.police.uk/report or speak to an operator in the Force Communications Room via the online web chat, which can be launched here: herts.police.uk/contact. You also call the non-emergency number 101. If a crime is in progress call 999.
Alternatively, you can stay 100 per cent anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org
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