DETECTIVES said they were ‘delighted’ with the jail time handed down to a County Lines dealer who sold heroin and crack in Bicester.

Noel Parchment, 34, was sent down for eight-and-a-half years at Oxford Crown Court on Wednesday after jurors unanimously convicted him of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

He helped run the ‘Donovan’ drugs line, which sold heroin and crack cocaine in Bicester last summer and Autumn.

Sentencing the London dad, Judge Michael Gledhill QC said Parchment was fully aware selling drugs was illegal and of the ‘misery’ they caused addicts.

Welcoming the sentence, Det Insp Aidan Donohoe of Thames Valley Police said: “Parchment was suspected of being active in the supply of class A drugs in the Bicester area for a significant period of time.

“He managed a county drugs line that used the name ‘Donovan’ to supply class A drugs to drug users in Bicester, exploiting their addiction to make large financial gains for himself.”

READ MORE: Londoner jailed for drug offences 

Detectives on a covert Thames Valley Police operation – codenamed ‘Jitter’ – worked with officers in the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service lawyers to build the case against Parchment.

“The detailed evidence obtained enabled the prosecution to demonstrate to the jury that Parchment played a leading role in this criminal enterprise,” Mr Donohoe said.

Oxford Mail:

Noel Parchment's custody shot Picture: TVP

“I am delighted with the sentence passed and I am sure that it will provide a deterrent to those who feel that their ability to coordinate the supply of drugs into the Thames Valley from other areas, will allow them to escape detection and prosecution.

“We will continue to work with our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police and others to disrupt and dismantle county line groups and will work with our partners to support those that are exploited by these criminals.”

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