Drug dealer arrested in Bury St Edmunds during week of action jailed for five years

A man who was arrested in Bury St Edmunds as part of a week of action to tackle drug dealing has been sentenced to five years and seven months in prison.

Jake Dykstra, 28, of Anselm Road, Bury St Edmunds, was arrested on 6 March during the national County Lines Intensification Week. He was approached by officers in the Lake Avenue area of the town and was seen to discard what turned out to be a quantity of white wraps and a larger item into a bush.

Officers then found a number of wraps and grip seal bags of white powder and a mobile phone. The phone matched the number police were aware had been involved in the supply of drugs in the Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket areas.

Dykstra, who has previous drug convictions, pleaded guilty to possessing a controlled drug (cocaine) with intent at Ipswich Crown Court on Tuesday, 28 April, where he was subsequently sentenced.

Following sentencing, Detective Constable John Gavin said: “This was great work from the initial approach and stop, through to the investigation, as shown by the guilty plea, and ensures another drug dealer profiting from the misery of Class A drugs is removed from our streets.

“This was not his first drug offence and as a result he will be spending an extended time behind bars.”

If you suspect drug activity report this via the Suffolk police website www.suffolk.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/,  call 101, or alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers to report anonymously – either online at www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling 0800 555 111.