Sussex Police crackdown on drugs gangs not working, ex user says

An ex-drug user says police crackdowns on county lines gangs in his community were "not working" as the criminal networks were too deeply rooted.

Jeff Ashman, from Hastings, East Sussex used heroin and cocaine for 24 years.

He says Sussex Police's attempts to dismantle drugs gangs only "slow it down for a day or two" and any gaps in the drugs market were quickly filled.

Sussex Police says its actions were saving lives, and drug users were now receiving treatment and support.

Jeff Ashman, 52, told the BBC there were "layers and layers" of drugs dealers in Hastings and the supply of drugs "cannot be stopped".

He said he ended up sleeping rough in Hastings for four years, and during that time he said he lost count of the number people he knew who had died from drugs overdoses.

Mr Ashman said his weight dropped to less than nine stone (57kg) after decades of drug use

He said the drugs he had taken for decades had '"stripped him like a chicken", leaving him weighing less than nine stone (57kg).

To pay for his drugs, Mr Ashman said he became a prolific shoplifter, stealing up to £600-worth of goods a day from Hastings shops which he would then sell on to pay for his £100-per-day habit.

In January, Mr Ashman said he "surrendered" and agreed to take part in a four-month drug treatment programme.

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David Perry, from the Seaview Project, a charity which helped steer Mr Ashman towards structured treatment, says heroin in East Sussex was often "contaminated" with other substances, including synthetic opioids, which he says were "more potent than the heroin itself".

Now in recovery, and weighing 16 stone (101kg), Mr Ashman said he knew there was "more to live for".

He said: "I have a partner, [I'm] back in touch with all my children. I've got my health back.

"I'm glad I got out. [Otherwise] I possibly would be dead now."

In 2020 the government launched a multi-agency initiative to combat drug misuse in 13 of the hardest hit areas across England and Wales, including Hastings.

Sussex Police said since the project was launched, drug-related deaths in Hastings had fallen from 15 in 2020/21 to 11 in 2022/23, and almost 5,000 people were in drug treatment.

A spokesman for the force said a joint operation with Surrey Police has dismantled more than 300 county drugs lines and "removed more than £2m worth of drugs from the streets".

Sussex Police said officers have carried out more than 1,000 drug seizures.

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