Portsmouth drug dealer who "blighted" Watford jailed after £360k worth of smuggled cocaine seized

A drug dealer from Portsmouth who “blighted” communities by peddling cocaine has been jailed.
By Freddie Webb
Published 8th Jan 2024, 12:56 GMT
Updated 8th Jan 2024, 12:56 GMT
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Spencer Clarke, 51, of Kirpal Road in Milton, has been put behind bars after running cocaine into Watford and the Three Rivers area. Officers from Hertfordshire Constabulary seized five kg worth of cocaine – with a street value of £360,000 – as part of Operation Relentless. The narcotics were seized from an address in Southwold Road, Watford, as part of a search warrant.

Clarke is thought to have transported the cocaine to Watford by hiding them in a secret compartment under the boot of his vehicle. He appeared for sentencing at St Albans Crown Court on Thursday, January 4, and was found unanimously guilty by jury.

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Police seized £360,000 worth of cocaine at Spencer Clarke's address in Southwold Road, Watford. Picture: Google Street View.Police seized £360,000 worth of cocaine at Spencer Clarke's address in Southwold Road, Watford. Picture: Google Street View.
Police seized £360,000 worth of cocaine at Spencer Clarke's address in Southwold Road, Watford. Picture: Google Street View.
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Clarke was sentenced to nine years in prison, minus 154 days spent on curfew whilst on bail, for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Tyler McConnon, 28, of Southwold Road, was caught on CCTV cameras walking away from Clarke’s vehicle with the drugs. He was previously sentenced to seven years and six months.

Detective Inspector Grant Finnie, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Operation Relentless team, said: “Clarke was part of a drug supply network which blighted the Watford and Three Rivers areas for many years. Successfully dismantling such a significant network will have a big impact on drug use and associated crime within the county. This will also send a message to anyone involved in drug dealing, that Hertfordshire is a hostile environment for gangs and they will be pursued relentlessly.

“Organised crime groups use violence, supply drugs and commit a whole range of crimes that pose a real threat to the community. Operation Relentless is Hertfordshire Constabulary’s response to this on-going threat. As part of this work, we depend on information from members of the public to help us crack down on drug-related crime. Any information you can provide, no matter how small it may seem, could help us to identify and apprehend drug dealers.”