A man has been jailed for four years after admitting being involved in County Lines drugs supply in Andover.

Alexander Derek Thomas Parsons, 24, of Arlington Road in Camden, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court on Wednesday (October 14) after pleading guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, and two counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Parsons was arrested in July of this year as part of a joint operation by Hampshire Constabulary and the Metropolitan Police into county lines drug dealing. He was found in possession of a quantity of heroin, MDMA, and crack cocaine on his arrest.

The investigation showed that Parsons was holding the drug line and using it to send marketing messages to Andover residents. He would travel from London to Andover to supply drugs.

Parsons was also sentenced to three years concurrent for two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs, and possession of a class B drug, in Suffolk.

This conviction follows work last month at Andover Railway Station, where police carried out a stop and search operation on the platforms and on trains between Andover and Basingstoke.

At the time, they seized Class A drugs from three suspected drug dealers, as well as confiscating a phone.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Constabulary said: “There is an undeniable link between drugs and violence and that is why disrupting the supply through County Lines is a crucial part of our work.

“Over the past year we have developed a much deeper understanding of the drivers of County Lines and how those orchestrating it operate. It is an abhorrent crime which causes misery for communities across the entire UK.”