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A drug dealer is behind bars after a successful police investigation following Operation Impact in Gateshead.
Wayne Mooney was first arrested at a property on Saltwell Street in Bensham in November 2023. Officers searching the property seized cocaine, cannabis and cannabis edibles. £15,594.66 in cash was also seized.
Following further intelligence, detectives swooped the same address where cash totalling £10,130 was seized with Mooney being arrested for possession of criminal property in January 2024.
The following month, a warrant which was executed at a property on Whitehall Road in Bensham, resulted in cannabis and pregabalin being seized as well as almost £2,500. Mooney was arrested for a third time on suspicion of supplying Class B drugs.
The 39-year-old was charged in March 2024 with one count of possession with intent to supply of a Class A drug, two counts of possession with intent to supply of Class B drugs and two counts of possession with intent to supply of Class C drugs. He was also charged with three counts possession of criminal property. In total nearly £30,000 in cash and almost £1,000 in drugs were seized.
Just a month later, Mooney pleaded guilty of all charges at Newcastle Crown Court and was held on remand.
At the same court on Tuesday, Mooney was sentenced to 44 months in prison, having spent nearly 13 months on remand.
Following his sentencing, the officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Constable Daniel Hand of the Major Investigation Team, said: “This sentencing is the latest positive outcome as part of our ongoing clampdown on drug crime in our area.
“As a Force, we have zero tolerance for drug-related crime in our area and we will use every tool at our disposal to bring offenders to justice.
“There is no hiding place for drug dealers in Gateshead. Mooney’s sentencing is an excellent result off the back of Operation Impact, which builds on the extensive work we are doing every single day to protect our communities from harm.”
Anyone who has concerns about crime in their area can send Northumbria Police a direct message on social media or use the live chat function and report forms on the Force’s website.
For those unable to contact police via those ways, call 101.
