A DRUG dealer has been jailed for five years after a police clampdown on the supply of lethal substances identified a flat on the edge of the town centre as a distribution hub visited by hundreds of users.
Gareth Featherstone, of Hopwood Street, pleaded guilty to seven counts of possession with intent to supply drugs and was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court last Friday.
In July last year, Operation Armenia was launched in relation to drug dealing across Barnsley and in particular the rising presence of fentanyl - a substance claimed to be 100 times more lethal than heroin - which was said to be responsible for the deaths of seven people in the town in 2017.
What followed was an operation focusing on flats on Hopwood Street, suspected to be a main hub connected to the sale and supply of drugs, including heroin and crack cocaine.
Warrants were executed in July last year, before three 24-hour surveillance stints were carried out during a month-long period to identify visitors to one flat which was occupied by 38-year-old Featherstone.
PC John Crawford said: “Following intelligence gathered and information from members of the public, we became aware that the flats on Hopwood Street were possibly being used in connection with drug dealing.
“As a result, over the course of two months we carried out a number of warrants which ultimately recovered large quantities of Class A and Class C drugs.”
The recovered substances - identified as fentanyl, heroin, crack cocaine, morphine, methadone and temazepam following forensic testing - had a street value of around £5,000, while £7,000 in cash was also seized.
The super-strength strain of fentanyl involved in the deaths, which does not show up on toxicology reports, prompted Public Health England to issue a warning which kickstarted the police investigation in Barnsley.
Ch Supt Scott Green hailed the result as a major achievement in the disruption of drug trade in Barnsley.
“I remember where I was when we heard about the first fentanyl-related death in the town and more lives were lost afterwards,” he told the Chronicle. “It’s much stronger than heroin and so we had a responsibility to work with our partners, including Public Health England.
“This operation resulted in the disruption of fentanyl supply in the town, a substance responsible for numerous deaths. It’s a significant result and a lot of work was put into getting there.”
During the surveillance of the flat, which was done alongside Barnsley Council, more than 300 people were recorded visiting according to police, who believe the majority were there to purchase drugs.
PC Crawford added: “This was a complex investigation, involving a lot of work from key partner agencies and I’m pleased that Featherstone has been jailed and we were able to remove these dangerous drugs from the streets of Barnsley.
“Fentanyl itself is 50 times more potent than morphine, meaning even extremely small quantities can prove fatal.”
