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Two men have been sentenced to a combined total of 29 years in prison after police discovered six firearms and £250,000 worth of cocaine and heroin at a house in Southampton.
Max Craig Alexander, 34, of no fixed abode, was described in court as the orchestrator and facilitator of the supply of Class A drugs from Liverpool into Southampton across 2020 and 2021.
The court heard he was supported by Stuart Marcus Forrest, 24, of Lyburn Close in Southampton, and Steven and Suezanne Forrest, 56 and 48, of Cromer Road in Southampton.
Officers from Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s Western Serious and Organised Crime Unit launched an investigation into the activity of Alexander and his co-defendants in January 2021, carrying out a warrant at an address on Old Redbridge Road.
Six firearms, including three double barrel sawn-off shotguns and three revolvers, were located inside the house, as well as heroin and cocaine worth a street value of approximately a quarter of a million pounds.
The investigation, which was run by Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary as Operation Boheme, coincided with Operation Venetic, an international operation targeting criminals using a mobile encryption service, commonly referred to as EncroChat, to evade detection.
Alexander had already pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to Operation Venetic charges including attempting to acquire a prohibited firearm, attempting to acquire ammunition without a firearm certificate, attempting to possess ammunition when prohibited, and to six counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine. He further pleaded guilty to additional counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin and conspiracy to transfer criminal property. He was found not guilty by the jury of conspiracy to possess a firearm without a firearm certificate and conspiracy to possess prohibited firearms.
Steven Forrest and Suezanne Forrest were found guilty of conspiring to supply heroin and cocaine and conspiring to transfer criminal property.
Stuart Marcus Forrest had already previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin, conspiracy to possess a prohibited firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm without a certificate, conspiracy to transfer criminal property and being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
Alexander and Stuart Forrest appeared at Southampton Crown Court yesterday (Monday 7 October), where they were sentenced to 15 years and 14 years in prison respectively.
Steven Forrest and Suezanne Forrest will be sentenced in November.
Southampton Chief Inspector Chris Douglas said: “Offenders who traffic and peddle drugs around Southampton and across the UK don’t care about the harm they bring to our communities or the lives that are destroyed by addiction.
“The sentencing of Alexander and his co-defendants sends out a clear message that the activities of those who think that they can bring illegal drugs into our city will not be tolerated.
“Tackling drug related harm is an absolute priority for Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, as the supply of drugs is often connected to other offences such as high levels of violence, or even the exploitation and abuse of vulnerable adults and children, which is why we relentlessly pursue those involved. These sentences demonstrate very clearly that we will not tolerate the supply of drugs in Hampshire & on the Isle of Wight. If you are involved in activity like this, we will find you and bring you to justice.
“We continue to encourage anyone who has information about drugs supply in their neighbourhood to report this to us, as this helps us build up an overall picture of the issues affecting your area.”
If you have concerns about drug-related activity in your neighbourhood please contact us on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Spotting the signs
We encourage our communities to spot the signs that someone might be involved in drugs supply, and to report any suspicious activity to us via 101, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary website or Crimestoppers where reports can be made 100% anonymously.
Some of the things to look out for and consider include: