Drugs found at hotel

POLICE who searched a room at an Ipswich hotel found 45 wraps of crack cocaine and £2,700 cash a court has heard.

Officers executed a search warrant at the Bosmere Hotel in Norwich Road on September 6 after becoming aware of a significant number of people coming and going form the premises, Ipswich Crown Court was told.

A search of a room at the hotel revealed the wraps of crack cocaine and £2,695 cash, said Michael Crimp prosecuting.

When police arrested 21-year-old Alhaji Sankoh they found 12 wraps of crack cocaine and 18 wraps of heroin in his possession.

The street value of all the drugs found in the hotel room and on Sankoh was estimated at between £1,000 and £1500, said Mr Crimp.

Sanko, 21, of London, admitted two offences of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin and was jailed for three and a half years.

A second defendant, 19-year-old Simon Akakpo, of London, who was arrested in a taxi close to Norwich Road on the same day, also pleaded guilty to two offences of being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin. He was ordered to carry out a 200-hour community punishment order and to abide by a 26-week curfew order between the hours of 9pm and 6am.

Jonathan Goodman, for Akakpo said his client had stupidly agreed to look after a mobile phone and take messages from anyone who rang it for a period of two hours. He said Akakpo wasn't a drug user and had missed out on a university place by becoming involved in the offences.

Matthew Gowen for Sankoh said his client had become involved in supplying drugs to settle a debt to his drug dealer.

He said Sankoh had only been involved with the drugs found in his possession and had nothing to do with the drugs found in the hotel room. Mr Gowan said Sankoh, who at one time had a £60 heroin habit, was now drug free.

The court heard that both men had been in custody since their arrest in September.