A county lines drug dealer who began supplying drugs in Ipswich after members of local gangs who’d been running the drugs trade in the town were locked up has been jailed for 57 months.

Aaron Warren ran the “Kenny” drugs line through most of last year and sent out bulk text messages to customers advertising the sale of heroin and cocaine, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

In some text messages he’d asked: “Have you got a yard for me” which was a reference to him looking for premises where drug runners could be based.

Brian Reece, prosecuting, said that in June last year police had found 78 wraps of crack cocaine and 53 wraps of heroin during a raid at Ropers Court in Ipswich and found evidence that Warren had been using youths aged 17 and 14 as runners.

Warren was arrested in January this year and was found in possession of the “Kenny” drug line phone.

Following his arrest he’d answered “no comment” to questions put to him by police officers, said Mr Reece.

Warren, 27, of Thornton Road, Croydon, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine for nine months between March 2021 and January this year.

Sentencing him Recorder Douglas Edwards QC said a police algorithm showed Warren had been involved in the supply of around 1.78k of drugs which he described as a “significant amount”.

The court heard that in 2017 Warren was jailed for five years and six months for robbery with a firearm and following his arrest for the current offences he’d been recalled to prison with a release date of February next year.

The court heard that Warren, who appeared at the sentencing hearing via a prison video link, had written a letter to the court expressing recognition of his wrong doing and expressing remorse.

Warren claimed he’d been forced to hold the “Kenny” drug to repay a drug debt and for the loss of a firearm.

He said Warren hadn’t received any benefit from supplying the drugs other than repaying his drug debt.