Prolific drug dealer sold Class A drugs as a passenger from the back of a taxi in Surrey

Image credit : Surrey Police

A prolific Guildford drug dealer this week finds himself behind bars after being sentenced at Guildford Crown Court last Friday (21 October).

Edward Chapman, 23, of no fixed address, was arrested on 4 June 2020 when plain clothed officers spotted him acting suspiciously in a small car park off The Mount in Guildford.

Chapman was the rear passenger in a taxi when he was seen to pass something to known drug users in what looked suspiciously like a drug deal. Officers approached and, following a search, he was found to be in possession of a mobile phone, a burner phone, a small bag of white powder and £640 in cash. He was arrested for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Chapman pleaded guilty when he appeared in court on 3 August this year. He was then sentenced at Guildford Crown Court last Friday (21 October) and received 4 years and 2 months’ imprisonment for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs – Cocaine.

Investigating Officer, PC Adam Grindlay, said: “Chapman’s arrest and conviction is another example of the proactive work Surrey Police are doing every day to target drug related crime in the county. We will continue to target those involved in the supply of drugs.

“We rely on members of the public to report suspected drug activity in their area to help us build a bigger picture of serious organised crime. You may think that things such as the smell of weed or a property having lots of visitors late at night isn’t worth reporting, but this helps us build a bigger picture of what’s going on.

"We can assure you that all reports are taken seriously and although it may appear as if they aren’t actioned right away, this intelligence allows us to orchestrate arrests such as these.”