Drug dealer sentenced to jail after being on the run for months

A 23-year-old man who disappeared for seven months after admitting involvement in distributing Class A drugs in a Lincolnshire coastal town has been given a prison sentence.

Connor Stewart, from Lincoln Road in Skegness, was expected to be sentenced in February following his guilty pleas for participating in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine. However, he failed to appear in court and remained at large until officers located and arrested him in Nottinghams Bulwell area on 3 September.

Stewart appeared before Lincoln Crown Court on Thursday, where he received a custodial sentence of six years and seven months.

During the hearing, the court was told that Stewart had taken control of the Skegness branch of a drug network known as the Scouse line between April 2022 and March 2023. The operation had previously been overseen by Grimsby offender Joel Tasker, who was sentenced to 12 years earlier this year.

According to the judge, Stewart managed the procurement, production and distribution of crack cocaine, enlisted others to assist him, and at times used intimidation. Judge Simon Hirst noted that Stewart played a central role in the conspiracy.

The court also heard in mitigation that Stewart had helped save a womans life while hiding in Nottingham, and that he had been only 19 years old when the criminal activity began.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Petty of Lincolnshire Police said the case had dismantled a dangerous conspiracy aimed at flooding communities with drugs and contributing to violence.

Author: Ethan Caldwell