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Man who fled police jailed for string of drugs related offences
25/11/2021
Offences include money laundering, possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine, possession of criminal property, criminal damage and escape from lawful custody
A Banbury man will spend five years and five months behind bars after pleading guilty to a number of drugs related offences. Lewis Abubakar of Ferriston in Banbury was sentenced at Oxford Crown Court on Tuesday (November 23).
29-year-old Abubakar admitted money laundering, possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine, possession of criminal property, criminal damage and escape from lawful custody.
The total sentence also includes one of 12 months for escaping custody to run consecutively to that of four years and five months for the other offences.
Police identified three bank accounts linked to the defendant, which had £240,000 in total credited to them between 1 January 2015 and 30 June 2019.
No legitimate source of income was identified, and so it was believed it was the proceeds of Abubakar’s drug dealing activities.
He was charged with money laundering on 13 February 2020.
Abubakar was stopped by police in Crumps Butts, Bicester at around 4pm on April 14 this year whilst entering his Audi A3, which was thought to contain class A drugs.
Initially the defendant struggled with officers in an effort to flee but once detained, he was searched and officers found £510 in cash.
In the vehicle, a quantity of heroin and crack cocaine was located, with a total street value of £2,000.
Following his arrest, Abubakar stated he had a wrist injury so he was taken to Horton General Hospital for treatment. The handcuff on the defendant’s injured wrist was loosened, which he slipped and fled from the A&E department in the early hours of April 15.
Abubakar was on the run for 40 days, with two wanted appeals made to the public to help find him, before he was located and arrested in Abingdon on May 25.
Detective Sergeant Steven Bates, of the Priority Crime Team for Cherwell and West Oxfordshire, based at Witney police station, said: “Tackling drugs supply remains a top priority for Thames Valley Police.
“We will actively seek to disrupt organised drug supply to protect our communities.
“Through Stronghold, we are committed to working in partnership to tackle serious organised crime and exploitation, such as county lines drug dealing.
“We continue to need the support of the public in this, and we would ask them to report any information that they have about drug dealing.
“This can be shared with Thames Valley Police on our website or by calling 101. You can also report anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Published: by Banbury FM Newsteam