Gloucester dealer hid drugs in chocolate egg containers

A Gloucester man who had hidden drugs in Kinder Egg containers has been sentenced to almost five years in prison.

Kieron Pettigrew, aged 36 and of Eastgate Street, appeared at Gloucester Crown Court on Friday 17 May where he was jailed for four years and nine months.

He had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine at an earlier hearing.

The court heard how police had been called to an address in Gloucester on 27 October last year (2023) to check on the welfare of the occupants.

When officers got no reply to their knocks, they forced entry and found two people inside, one of whom was Pettigrew, who was discovered hiding behind a door.

Hidden behind where he was standing were two Kinder Egg capsules. Inside these were 27 plastic wraps containing a white substance and 13 wraps containing a brown substance. Officers also discovered another wrap with a white substance and a Nokia burner phone.

A drugs expert confirmed that one of the wraps contained crack cocaine which had been packaged to sell on. The total value of all drugs seized was £1,200.

A search of the address was carried out and £210 in cash was found in a rucksack belonging to Pettigrew, along with two sets of digital scales with white residue on, which tests proved to be cocaine.

Messages on the phone also showed that drug deals were being planned.

Speaking after the verdict, Sergeant Bobby George, of the Vanguard team, said: “Pettigrew thought that he could hide himself and his drug dealing from us.

“This sentence reflects the pain and impact that drug dealing can cause our communities. We will continue to do all we can to bring these pedlars of misery to justice.”

If you suspect drug dealing or have witnessed suspicious activity taking place in your community, you can report it to either Crimestoppers anonymously or to police.

You can report this to police online by using the following form: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/soh/seen-or-heard/

Alternatively you can give information anonymously to the independent crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or online at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/