Southampton man jailed for nine years for drugs offences and possessing a sawn-off shotgun and more than £27,000 of criminal property

A Southampton man has been jailed for nine years for drugs offences and possessing a sawn-off shotgun and £27,000 of criminal property.

Lee Carey, 40, currently residing at HMP Lewes, was sentenced at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (13 December).

This comes after he was found guilty by a jury of possessing a prohibited firearm earlier this month.

He had also pleaded guilty to the following offences:

-Possessing a controlled Class A drug with intent to supply (crack cocaine)

-Supplying a controlled Class A drug (heroin)

-Possessing a controlled Class B drug (cannabis)

-Producing a controlled Class B drug (cannabis)

-Two counts of possessing criminal property, namely £27,240 in cash

On 29 November last year, officers carried out a warrant at his address in Bentley Green, Southampton.

They conducted searches of the house and garden and initially found more than £4,000 in cash, out houses where three cannabis plants were being grown and a large quantity of herbal cannabis and crack cocaine.

Further searching revealed a protein powder container buried in the garden which contained almost £23,000 in cash.

Weapons were also found at the address.

A police dog located a sawn-off shotgun with ammunition in a plastic bag, hidden behind a fence in the garden, and officers seized a zombie knife and a knuckle-duster.

These were all ordered to be destroyed, and a proportion of the money seized will be reinvested into the force.

DC Lee Murden led the investigation. He said: “Drug dealing causes harm to our community by targeting vulnerable individuals and bringing firearms into our city.

“This is why, with our partner agencies, we operate a zero tolerance approach to any criminality which involves a firearm and other weapons.

“I hope this sentence sends a strong message that if you possess weapons or supply drugs, you will be prosecuted and can also expect a lengthy time behind bars.

“We rely on the public for information to plan warrants such as the one that led to Carey’s sentencing – so please continue to report what you know about drug dealing to us by calling 101 or reporting via our website.”