Assane Simpson, 26, from Knowle, Bristol, has been jailed following a police investigation that connected him to a Gloucester-based crime ring. The link was established through a phone-related tip-off tying Simpson to Gloucester drug lord Aaron James, who was sentenced earlier this month.
Gloucestershire Constabulary’s specialist drugs team, working together with Avon and Somerset Police, uncovered the case through forensic phone analysis. The analysis revealed detailed conversations between Simpson and James, exposing their wholesale heroin and cocaine transactions prior to James’s arrest in February.
Simpson sent James a photograph of a quarter-kilo of heroin, highlighting parts he found unsatisfactory. Their text exchanges also included discussions about selling half a kilo of cocaine for £19,000 and half a kilo of heroin in Cheltenham for £50,000.
Authorities believe Simpson operated as a mid-to-high level dealer, supplying bulk quantities of drugs to street-level dealers. Earlier in the investigation, officers in Exeter recovered half a kilo of heroin with Simpson’s fingerprints on the packaging, demonstrating his extensive reach across the region. At Simpson’s home, police discovered drug scales containing traces of heroin and cocaine. He was arrested on the M4 near Swindon in June.
Despite pleading not guilty, Simpson was convicted by a Gloucester Crown Court jury after just one hour of deliberation.
Simpson received a sentence of nine and a half years for conspiracy to supply heroin and cocaine, involvement in cocaine supply, and possession of false identification. Aaron Levi James, 32, from Gloucester, was sentenced to nine years earlier this month after pleading guilty to Class A drug offences.
Detective Chief Inspector Neil Smith commented: “This was another outstanding investigation by our officers, with great assistance from Avon and Somerset colleagues. Exploitative drug networks remain a top priority for Gloucestershire Constabulary. The pain and harm dealers cause is abhorrent. We will continue to use all resources to identify, target, and disrupt them.”
Investigator PC Andrew Smetham added: “Assane Simpson, aka Andre, Reds or Big Reds, is now off Bristol’s streets. Illegal drugs bring misery. This hefty sentence should serve as a warning—crime does not pay.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
