A PAIR of county lines drug dealers who sold users in Winchester crack cocaine and heroin have been jailed for more than six years.

Tashon Bouyen, 21, and Khalil Henriques, 21, were caught selling the Class A drugs to users and were sending out bulk text messages to customers advertising when they were in the area. The offences took place between February 12, 2018 and March 14, 2018.

On Thursday they appeared at Winchester Crown Court to be sentenced after they were both found guilty following a trial of being concerned in the supply and being in possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin.

Prosecutor Chris Symth said that Bouyen, of York Road, Waltham Cross, played an “upper half significant role” and explained that the drugs phone was more often with him, rather than with Henriques.

Mr Smyth said in the case of some drug dealers they are coerced into dealing but in the case of Henriques he was “seduced into this way of operating and did so quite willingly”.

The court was told that when the pair were arrested Henriques had the drugs line in his possession and £545 in cash, which was seized. The pair were also said to have been found with an amount of drugs, that amount was not specified.

In mitigation, Mr Quinn argued that Henriques, of Barford Road, Birmingham, was in a lesser role as “it is quite clear that Mr Henriques was picked up and bought to Winchester”.

He continued: “He is essentially a person who is on the ground performing that limited function within the operation. He is, in my submission, at the very bottom of the chain.”

The court was told that Henriques has mental health issues and was sectioned after trying to take his own life, Mr Quinn added: “This is a young man who has been suffering quite a great deal, in hospital, released, and has made efforts to change.”

Shenaiya Kharegat said in mitigation for Bouyen that he was “on the cusp of being a young at the time when he committed these offences”.

She told Recorder L Harvey that he is currently on medication for anxiety and is expecting a child with his girlfriend.

Ms Kharegat added: “It is very easy to forget that he is a young boy with people and family that care about him and he has a strong potential for the future.”

Jailing Bouyen for three and half years, Recorder Harvey said: “You were involving others within this matter and you had a management function in effect within this chain.”

Henriques was jailed for two years and nine months for his role, which involved supplying members of the public.