County lines dealer used vulnerable Shrewsbury person's home to sell drugs
Londoner Jennifer Chigbo has been locked up after 'cuckooing' at a vulnerable person's home in Shrewsbury.
A teenage county lines drug dealer who used a vulnerable person's house in Shrewsbury to sell drugs has been jailed.
Jennifer Chigbo was arrested in Shrewsbury in August 2018 when officers arrived unannounced at the home of the person she had been 'cuckooing'.
Chigbo, 19, of Sutton Street, Birmingham, was found in possession of £800 worth of crack cocaine and heroin.
She was sentenced to 16 months in prison for possession with intent to supply at Blackfriars Crown Court in London yesterday.
The county lines dealer had previously pleaded guilty at Shrewsbury Magistrates Court in February and the case was sent to Shrewsbury Crown Court for sentencing.
But Chigbo was then arrested when she was caught with a knife the next day at Euston Station in London.
She was given an extra four-month prison sentence as a result, bringing her total jail time to 20 months.
County lines 'cuckooing'
Shropshire's Local Organised Crime Team visited the home of the victim, who suffers from mental health problems, over concerns that county lines gangs had been 'cuckooing' there.
Cuckooing is when drugs gangs, generally from outside the area, exploit vulnerable people to use their homes as a base for drug dealing.
DS Andy Chatting, from the Local Organised Crime Team, said: "Protecting people from harm is our absolute priority and we are committed to protecting those people who are vulnerable to being exploited by criminals.
"The victim in this case was suffering from mental health issues and completely taken advantage of by Chigbo who used the home to facilitate drugs supply into Shrewsbury.
"We will continue to target those who come into our county to supply drugs and disrupt their criminal network."
Anyone who is concerned about a person being exploited or a home they believe could be being cuckooed by organised criminals is encouraged to get in contact with police.
DS Chatting added: "Information we receive from the local community is absolutely crucial in our work to protect vulnerable people and pursue the activity of criminals."
