Five people sentenced for their involvement in county lines drug supply in Harborough

Five people have been sentenced after admitting their part in supplying cocaine and heroin in Market Harborough.

The crimes of Kyane Reiss Jones, Brown Mujinga, Giovani Patrocinio, Kyle Watkins and Colleen Pickering were uncovered by local police in 2020.

The investigation ran from January to July 2020, and saw detectives from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) prove Jones was running a county line in the town – sending out text messages offering class A drugs like cocaine and heroin for sale.

Any orders placed were then delivered by Mujinga and Patrocinio - who were being used by Jones as drug runners.

The pair were using an address in Market Harborough’s Welland Park Road – which at the time was the home of Watkins’ – as a base and a place to store the drugs.

When police officers searched the house they discovered bags of cocaine and heroin along with multiple mobile phones, cash and scales used to weigh the drugs.

At Leicester Crown Court on Thursday (April 27), four of the group were sentenced after pleading guilty at previous hearings which took place earlier this year.

Brown Mujinga, 20, of Burnmoor Street, Leicester, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Giovani Patrocinio, 24, of Dunholme Road, Leicester, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply class A drugs and was sentenced to three years in prison.

Kyle Watkins, 25, of Leicestershire (no fixed address), pleaded guilty to allowing his premises to be used and was given a 12-month prison sentence, which was suspended for two years. He was also ordered to undertake 80 hours of community service.

Colleen Pickering, 44, of Western Avenue, Market Harborough, pleaded guilty to allowing her premises to be used and was sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for two years. She was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service.

Controller of the line, Kyane Reiss Jones, was sentenced in August 2022 to seven years and six months.

The 23-year-old of no fixed address previously pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs. He also admitted conspiracy to handle stolen goods after officers discovered the six cars in his possession between September 2019 and August 2020 which had been stolen from the West Midlands area.

Det Sgt Lindsay O’Nion from EMSOU said: “The five convicted ran a business-like operation and at the time were contributing to the sale of cocaine and heroin on the streets of Market Harborough.

“The evidence showing their involvement in this was overwhelming so I am pleased they have all pleaded guilty for their part and have been sentenced for their crimes.

“Leicestershire Police and specialist officers in EMSOU will continue our work to identify and prosecute those who supply drugs on our streets as we know the damage they can cause to our communities.”