Two men jailed for drugs offences in East Surrey

Two men are behind bars for class A drugs offences after they were sentenced at Guildford Crown Court on Monday (4 May).

Carlos Andre Robinson, 30, of Lyall Avenue, Southwark, was sentenced to 34 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to supply class A drugs, while Leonard Knowles, 23, of no fixed address, received a total of 58 months for possession with intent to supply, seven counts of assault against police officers, including an assault which left one officer with a broken nose. He was also sentenced for criminal damage to hospital equipment.

Both men were arrested on Thursday, 28 March 2019 after an ongoing investigation highlighted them as potential drug dealers preying on vulnerable people in East Surrey and Crawley.    

After they were searched, they were found to be in possession of over 94 individual wraps of crack cocaine and heroin between them.

After his arrest, Knowles threatened and assaulted officers both at the scene and whilst in custody. After being taken to hospital, following concerns he had concealed drugs, he proceeded to deliberately urinate on an officer and on vital medical equipment, leaving it unusable.

Knowles pleaded guilty to all charges in last year. Robinson was due to go to trial in February 2020 but pleaded guilty just before it was due to start.  

Detective Constable Elliott Abdo said: “Tackling drug dealing across the county and getting drug dealers off the streets and out of our local communities is one of our top priorities.

“Both men showed a complete disregard for the law, particularly Knowles, who assaulted multiple officers in the course of doing their job, leaving one with broken bones. Assaults on any emergency worker will simply not be tolerated.  

“The prison sentences handed out this week are the result of a thorough investigation, and the officers involved worked hard with the Crown Prosecution Service to achieve this outcome.”

DC Abdo added: “Drug dealing is a serious offence and we rely on the public’s help to provide us with information to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”

What are the signs of potential drug dealing?

• Lots of visitors, who don’t stay very long, arriving at all times of the day and night
• People waiting in cars outside particular properties exchanging small packets or cash
• Lots of visitors bringing items such as T.V's or bikes but leaving empty handed
• Lone/vulnerable neighbours suddenly having groups of young men living at their address.

What we want to know

• Time, date and place
• Vehicle registrations and the make, model and colour
• Descriptions of people and details of what they were doing
• Direction they travelling to and from
• How many times you have seen them – is it always at the same time of day?

Don’t put yourself at risk while gathering this information. Please always pass the information to the police and do not confront or approach suspected drug dealers