A prolific class A drug dealer known as “Spunky” has been sentenced after he was found to be behind a “significant drug dealing operation” in a seaside town.

37-year-old James Andrew Hardy was sentenced at York Crown Court today after pleading guilty to two charges at Scarborough Magistrates Court on May 23.

Known locally as “Spunky”, he was sentenced to five-years imprisonment.

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He was charged with being in possession with intent to supply 20 wraps of crack cocaine on December 10 2022 and possession to supply 11 wraps of heroin, on February 26 2021.

Although there was a separate investigation, there were clear links between Hardy and Teesside County Lines drug dealer Emma Seed.

She was sentenced to 11 years and nine months in March this year for flooding Whitby with heroin and cocaine.

Detailed searches were carried out at various addresses and vehicles to recover vital evidence by detectives from Scarborough and Ryedale CID assisted by the Operational Support Unit.

Analysis of telephones and other digital devices that were seized during the investigation also played a key role in securing the conviction.

Detective constable Steve Monty, of Scarborough and Ryedale CID, said he was “left with no choice but to admit his guilt.”

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He added: “Through this painstaking work, we were able to secure irrefutable evidence that James Hardy was behind a significant Class A drug dealing operation in Whitby with links to the Emma Seed county line.

“It is pleasing that he has been sent to prison for a significant period of time.”

Detective constable Monty continued to thank “residents and business for taking a stand against drug dealers and reporting their concerns to the council and police.”

He added: “We fully understand the level of feeling in Whitby against drug-related crime and the damage it causes within the community.

“The action we have taken in this investigation and others demonstrates our relentless approach to tackling drug-related crime in Whitby.”

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