Peterborough drug dealer with £2,600 of crack cocaine hidden in boxer shorts given suspended sentence

Two county lines drug dealers operating in Peterborough have been sentenced after being caught in the act by police officers.

Robert Facuna, 19, and Patrik Kotlar, 20, were given suspended sentences after admitting their role in dealing for the ‘Predator’ County Line.

County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

They exploit vulnerable people, including children and those with mental health or addiction issues, by recruiting them to distribute the drugs, often referred to as ‘drug running’.

Drugs worth more than £2,600 were found in Facuna’s boxer shorts when he was arrested.

The pair were arrested in Parnwell after they were found with drugs and a “deal line” mobile phone in the early hours of 12 October last year.

The officers had been searching for a missing person at about 1am when they came across Kotlar’s Audi A4 parked with the engine running in St Michael’s Gate.

Facuna was in the passenger seat and two teenage boys in the back.

Kotlar, of Wollaston Road, Westwood, Peterborough, came out of the nearest house and was found with a mobile phone and a SIM card which, after being analysed, uncovered clear evidence of large-scale drug dealing across Peterborough.

Facuna, of Midland Road, central Peterborough, was found with about £220 worth of cannabis, as well as a mobile phone which again showed he was heavily involved in drug dealing.

Inside the Audi were wraps of crack cocaine and heroin worth about £840.

In the house officers found a make-up bag containing small plastic “deal bags” and almost £3,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine inside the pocket of a coat which had been hidden in a fridge.

Facuna, Kotlar and three teenage boys were all arrested and taken into custody at Thorpe Wood Police Station.

A strip-search of Facuna in custody revealed about £2,680 worth of crack cocaine hidden in his boxer shorts.

Examination of Kotlar’s mobile phone showed it was the main phone number linked to the “Predator” drug line – a county line running in Peterborough.

The pair both admitted possession with intent to supply class A, and Facuna also admitted possession of cannabis.

The three teenage boys were released from police custody under investigation.

Kotlar and Facuna appeared at Cambridge Crown Court today (9 June). Kotlar was sentenced to two years in prison suspended for two years.

Facuna was sentenced to one year and nine months in prison suspended for two years.

Detective Constable Claire Atkinson, who investigated, said: “Facuna and Kotlar are significant dealers for the ‘Predator’ line, and have now landed themselves before the courts at such a young age.

“Sadly, we are seeing more and more young people getting drawn in to county lines drug dealing. I would urge members of the public to speak to someone if they have concerns about a young person as help is available before it reaches this stage.”

Information about county lines, along with how to report concerns, can be found on the force website at https://www.cambs.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines