Hertfordshire drug dealer jailed
Luis Ferreira has had his sentence increased following intervention by the then Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP.
A ‘county lines’ drug dealer has had his sentence increased following intervention by the then Solicitor General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP.
Luis Ferreira, 34, ran a ‘county lines’ drug dealing operation in Welwyn Garden City between August and November 2018. He used local addicts to carry out street deals, and co-opted (or ‘cuckooed’) the address of local vulnerable individuals from whose homes he operated. Ferreira used a mobile phone to send out bulk texts to drug users who would then contact him to purchase Class A drugs.
Ferreira has 17 previous convictions for 43 offences, although none of them were drug related.
Ferreira was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to supply and two counts of supplying Class A drugs. On 18 January 2021 Ferreira was sentenced to 2 years’ imprisonment at St Albans Crown Court, suspended for two years.
Following a referral to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme by the then Solicitor General, on 18 March 2021 the Court found the sentence to be unduly lenient and increased it to 4 years’ immediate imprisonment.
After the hearing at the Court of Appeal, the now Attorney General, Rt Hon Michael Ellis QC MP, said:
Ferreira played a significant role in the supply of class A drugs, taking advantage of vulnerable people at various stages of his criminal enterprise. I welcome the Court’s decision to order his immediate imprisonment.