Two county line drug dealers who were back selling crack cocaine and heroin in Norwich within hours of being arrested have been jailed.
Caleb Parnell, 30, and Igor De Pereira Menzes Saraiva, 25, operated a phone line that bombarded users with dozens of text messages tempting them to buy.
Jailing Parnell for six years and eight months and Saraiva for two years six months, Judge Janet Waddicor said they “clearly motivated by financial gain”.
Parnell, who used the nickname Gotti, was arrested after a large amount of cash was found in his car when he was stopped on the NDR on November 13 last year.
A search of his home found wraps of cocaine and almost £1,000 in cash. Phone analysis linked him to Portuguese national Saraiva with messages discussing ‘light’ and ‘dark’ referring to cocaine and heroin.
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Saraiva had been separately arrested on November 11 in a Norwich nightclub after bouncers found a lock knife and wraps of drugs in his boxer shorts.
Norwich Crown Court heard both had returned to selling drugs despite being under police investigation.
When he was again arrested at a Norwich probation Parnell assaulted four police officers in a 45 minute struggle headbutting one.
Both men admitted possessing drugs with intent to supply.
READ MORE: Norwich and Great Yarmouth county lines drug dealer jailed
Parnell, of Pettus Road, Norwich, who has previous jail convictions for drugs, also pleaded guilty to four charges of assaulting emergency workers.
Saraiva, of Windsor House, Thorpe St Andrew, also admitted possessing a knife.
Laura Kenyon, for Parnell, said he had owed a drugs debt to others further up the chain and it was “not a case of someone living a lavish lifestyle".
Oliver Haswell, for Saraiva, said: “He has been refreshingly honest in saying he got involved for money. He has family members back in Portugal that he wanted to help support. He made a catastrophic mistake.”
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