A 21-year-old man has been jailed for four years and six months for drug offences in Ipswich.

Omar Abdi, of Energen Close, London, was jailed at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday, February 23.

He was originally arrested on January 25, on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

The arrests came as part of an Operation Orochi joint investigation with the Metropolitan Police.

At the time of his arrest, he was found with drugs, cash and mobile phones linked to two drugs lines.

Following police enquiries, Abdi was identified as being the line holder for the ‘Cartel’ line in Suffolk and the ‘Richard’ line in Hampshire.

He was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and two counts of being concerned in the supply of heroin relating to each line.

Abdi pleaded guilty to these charges and was subsequently sentenced to the four and half year jail sentence in the same hearing.

Investigating officer DC Phillip King of the serious crime disruption team, said: “I am pleased that the culmination of this investigation has resulted in the key perpetrator receiving a custodial sentence.

"His significant criminality stretched from the south coast to the east coast effecting many lives in the process.

"He is a young man so It is my hope that this sentence doesn’t define him, rather it gives him the motivation and opportunity to rehabilitate himself back into his community as a positive contributor rather than a negative.”