Man Jailed For Blackmail Following Drug Dealing Investigation

Wednesday, 22 January 2025 12:39

A man has been jailed after being found guilty of blackmail following an investigation into county lines drug dealing.

James Sunderland, 56, previously of Merrimede Close, St Leonards, had denied the charge but was found guilty following a trial at Brighton Crown Court on Friday 10 January and sentenced to six years in prison.

The court was told that throughout 2023 Sussex police detectives had been investigating the ‘Pattern Gang’ County drug line where there have been multiple warrants executed in East Sussex following the line holders for the drug lines being identified.

Following enquiries, a woman reported to police that a member of her family had been forced to supply drugs for this drug gang in order to clear a drug debt.

She had noticed that man would call at her home and hang around outside.

This man had been identified as James Sunderland.

The woman started giving large sums of money to the family member to pay off their drug debt as they felt threatened and under pressure.

It later transpired that the money was being paid to a man called ‘Jay Jay’ who it was established was James Sunderland.

The woman felt so threatened by Sunderland, she installed CCTV cameras outside her home and keep fire extinguishers by the door as she feared her house maybe burned down by Sunderland and his associates.

She was forced to take out loans and borrow money from family members to pay the debt off so that she and her family did not come to any physical harm.

As well as paying Sunderland through a ‘payment plan’, Sunderland demanded cash on several occasions.

The victim accompanied the family member to meet Sunderland in Battle to pay him and he threatened her family member and told the individual to get into the boot of his car.

She told Sunderland she would report him to the police and he then threatened her telling her he would throw acid in her face and she would never see her family member again.

The woman’s family member was also assaulted in the face on another occasion when Sunderland was allegedly present and she stated that between May and October 2023, Sunderland had attended her home address between 20 to 40 times where he would wait outside and linger around and would repeatedly phone the family member.

After the case, Detective Sergeant Jason Tuck said:

“Sunderland menaced the victim and her family member threatening severe violence and putting them in extreme fear. He attended her home address multiple times to enforce the debt and collect payment.

“This case demonstrates the harm that county lines drug dealing causes to our communities and we will continue to investigate and endeavour to bring those offenders like Sunderland who are involved in this harm and criminality to justice.”