Peterborough county lines drug dealer caught red-handed

A county lines drug dealer who was caught red-handed in Peterborough with two burner phones has been jailed for four years.
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Rytis Zerlauskas, of Brynmore in Bretton, was caught with the Nokia phones after officers went to his home on February 6.

One phone was used as a personal phone by the 19-year-old while the other was suspected to have been used to supply drugs, Peterborough Crown Court heard.

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This phone had evidence of drugs supply and one message, thought to have referenced Class A drugs, was sent 92 times to multiple numbers.

Rytis ZerlauskasRytis Zerlauskas
Rytis Zerlauskas

Further messages received from others related to Zerlauskas ‘being on’, which is thought to relate to whether or not he was dealing drugs.

In police interview, Zerlauskas answered “no comment” to almost every question asked, but did confirm he had sold drugs before and had been to jail for similar offences.

At Peterborough Crown Court on Thursday (March 7), Zerlauskas pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

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He was sentenced on the same day and was handed 36 months in a young offenders institution for the drug offences.

However, Zerlauskas was handed a further 12 months for breaching a suspended sentence given to him in December 2018.

He therefore received a total sentence of four years.

DC Sarah Phillips, who investigated, said: “We arrested Zerlauskas thanks to information from the community, and this case is a great example of how reporting incidents and suspicions to us really does make a difference.

“Zerlauskas was only recently convicted of drugs offences in December (2018) and despite this has continued to offend.

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“The sentence imposed highlights how seriously both the force and the courts take drug related offences.

“Drugs devastate lives and cause misery for our communities. Often drug dealing and violence go hand-in-hand, making it vital that we catch the perpetrators and bring them to justice.”

County lines refers to the dedicated mobile phones, or “lines”, used by criminals to deal drugs originating in London in other UK towns and cities.

More information about county lines can be found at:

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If you suspect somebody is involved in drug dealing, report this to us online at https://www.cambs.police.uk/report/Report or call 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.

Alternatively, you can report it anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or by visiting https://www.crimestoppers-uk.org.