Two men have been sentenced after they were seen dealing Class A drugs near a seafront.

Police spotted Broli Martin, 23, and Amedeo Seccia, 28, coming out of a hotel and selling drugs to known users.

The officers then located the room where they were staying and discovered wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, along with £2,000 in cash.

The pair were caught in Hastings in November last year and were sentenced at Lewes Crown Court after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin and being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

They were convicted as part of a joint operation between Sussex Police and the Metropolitan Police. 

Research on both men’s mobile phones by the Metropolitan Police Op Orochi team revealed that Martin was running a county drugs line from North London and had been doing so since his release on licence from a previous conviction for drug supply.

Martin, of Palmerston Road, Enfield, north London, was jailed for a total of five and a half years and Seccia of Bohemia Road, St Leonards, was sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for 24 months.


Investigator Julian Stokes said: “This is one of a number of significant sentences handed down by the courts for drug supply offences investigated by the Project ADDER team based in Hastings, and it demonstrates that the supply and distribution of drugs will absolutely not be tolerated in our town.

“County Lines are responsible for bringing harmful and dangerous drugs into our community, and we do a huge amount of work to catch those responsible.

"To do this effectively, we work incredibly closely with other agencies and police forces, including the Metropolitan Police's Op Orochi team.

"This partnership working means we can tackle County Drugs Lines from both ends - the origin, which is often in London, and the end destination, which is usually smaller coastal or rural towns such as Hastings.

"We're grateful to the Met for working so closely with us so we can dismantle these County Lines and help protect our communities from drug-related harm."