Loughborough drug dealer jailed for more than two years

A Loughborough man, found in possession of hundreds of pounds worth of drugs, now faces more than two years in jail.

Abhijit Suklabaidya was sentenced today (3 July) to 26 months in prison after pleading guilty to four drug offences when he was detained as part of Operation Lionheart.

The 25-year-old of Gladstone Avenue, admitted to selling cocaine and heroin during a drug deal close to the Maxwell Drive area of the town on 17 January this year.

Later the same day, he was stopped by police in a car and was found in possession of 58 wraps of class A drugs – estimated to have a street value of around £500.

At his first court appearance last month Suklabaidya pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying class A drugs and two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

A further defendant, Bruce Bateson, was also sentenced today as part of the operation and was given a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years.

The 57-year-old of Knightthorpe Road, Loughborough, admitted to selling cocaine on 12 September 2018, in the Keats Way area of the town.

Bateson pleaded guilty to one count of supplying a class A drug at an earlier hearing. Both defendants were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court today.

A suspect, who had previously been arrested and released, was charged with one count of supplying a class A drug and appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court today.

Nathan Holdom, 21, of Caldecote Road, Leicester, entered no plea and is due to appear at Leicester Crown Court on 5 August.

Holdom’s charge takes the total number of people charged as part of Operation Lionheart to 99.