A drug dealer has been jailed after part of his £300,000 stash was found in a bag at a property in King Charles‘s model town Poundbury. A local found the black holdall dumped in a garden at an address in the designer town on the outskirts of Dorchester, Dorset, on July 14, 2023.
Inside was a large amount of drugs, £25,000 in cash and a letter addressed to drug dealer, Samuel Gillies. Police enquiries took them to an Airbnb in Weymouth where Gillies, 28, was found along with £300,000 worth of drugs.
The stash was made up of 44lbs (19.6kg) of cannabis, about 3.3lbs (1.5kg) of cocaine and 3.08lbs (1.4kg) of ketamine.
Forensic analysis found a fingerprint on the packaging which matched Gillies’.
A gold knuckle duster and a Taser device were also located at the address.
Gillies, from Dorchester, pleaded guilty to possession of an incapacitation device; possession with intent to supply controlled drugs of class A and class B; possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and money laundering.
He was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison at Salisbury Crown Court on December 15.
Inspector Sam Goom from Weymouth police said: “Illegal drug supply can have a very significant impact on our communities and we are determined to make sure that Dorset is no place for drugs.
“The address in Weymouth was listed on Airbnb and had been rented out at the time Gillies was found there.
“Crime scene investigators carried out detailed searches and images taken from within show the drugs that were being stored and the poor quality in which the address was being kept in.”
Mr Goom urged anyone who suspects drug dealing is taking place in their neighbourhood to report it to the police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.
