Officers from the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Paramilitary Crime Task Force have welcomed the sentencing of 33 year old Jason McCrory and 34 year old Lee Gardner at Laganside Magistrates Court on Friday, 26th March.
Jason McCrory was sentenced to:
- 1 year imprisonment with 1 year on license for possession of a Class A controlled drug with intent to supply
- 6 months imprisonment for possession of a Class B drug
- 9 months imprisonment with 9 months on license for possessing criminal property and
- 6 months imprisonment with 6 months on license for possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
Lee Gardner was sentenced to:
- 1 year imprisonment with 1 year on license for possession of a Class A controlled drug with intent to supply
Detective Inspector Hamilton said “These drugs were seized on 24th March 2020 during a Paramilitary Crime Task Force investigation, proactively targeting suspected drug criminality linked to the East Belfast UVF.
I welcome this sentence handed down by the Courts as it sends a strong message to criminals who deal drugs in our communities; that when caught, they will be dealt with robustly by the criminal justice system and can expect to go to prison.
The Paramilitary Crime Task Force will continue to work with our colleagues in Neighbourhood Policing Teams and Tactical Support Units to carry out searches, recover drugs and arrest drug dealers.
Detective Inspector Hamilton concluded: “We will continue to listen to the community and act on information they provide, so I would ask anyone who has any information about paramilitary activity, including the supply of illegal drugs to contact police on the non-emergency number 101. Alternatively, you can submit a report online using our non-emergency reporting form via http://www.psni.police.uk/makeareport/. You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/