Man and woman jailed for Bury St Edmunds drugs supply

Jurgen Kapica and Vinjola Geca, both 23, were arrested on January 25 after police arrived at their home in Snakes Lane East, Woodford Green, with a warrant to search the premises as part of Operation Orochi.

At court, they both pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine and possession of cocaine with intent to supply.

At their sentencing hearing on Friday, those gathered at Ipswich Crown Court heard that officers discovered mobile phones which linked the defendants to four drug “runners” who were arrested between July last year and January this year and worked for the drug line.

Two runners were stopped in separate incidents as they travelled via the A14 and found to have “deal bags” of cocaine, quantities of cash and iPhones with incriminating messages.

Two more were stopped and arrested in separate, similar incidents in Springfield Road and Northgate Street, both in Bury St Edmunds.

The court heard that customers would contact the drug line via its WhatsApp Business group. They would state how much cocaine they wished to purchase and their postcode, and a runner would be dispatched.

The mobile phones found at Kapica and Geca’s address linked them to the running of the drug line.

Jurgen Kapica told police that he was struggling with debt and addiction. Image: Suffolk Police (Image: Suffolk Police)Vinjola Geca is understood to have played a lesser role than Kapica. Image: Suffolk Police (Image: Suffolk Police)

Kapica told officers that he was struggling with drug addiction himself and accrued a debt of £5,000.

He said his involvement in the drug line arose out of the need to pay that debt. His counsel said that he hoped to achieve and maintain a drug-free lifestyle with the support of his family in Albania.

Counsel speaking on behalf of Geca, who is understood to have been Kapica’s fiancée, told the court that she had acted out of a sense of “misguided loyalty” to him.

She was understood to have played a lesser role. Her counsel explained that Geca had been studying at university, and described her as “a young woman with a promising future who has lost everything”.

Judge David Wilson handed Kapica a sentence of three years and four months in prison for each offence, to be served concurrently. Geca was sentenced to two years and six months for each offence, also to be served concurrently.

He also ordered the forfeiture of the money, drugs, drug paraphernalia and money found at the pair’s address.

Judge Wilson advised both defendants that they would serve half their time in prison, and that, owing to their lengthy sentences, they would both be liable for deportation by the Home Office.