Thetford man jailed for drugs and weapons offences

Drug dealer Tyler Whisken has been sentenced to three years in prison after drugs and cash worth more than £30,000 were found at a property in Thetford during a police raid.

Tyler Whisken, 31, of Castle Street, Thetford, has been sentenced to a total of three years for possession of drugs and supply and weapons offences at Norwich Crown Court on Thursday 22 February.

Whisken previously pleaded guilty to possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and three counts of supplying Class A drugs, two counts of possession of Class B drugs with intent, possessing a prohibited weapon, criminal property and a shotgun without a certificate.

On Wednesday 15 November 2023 officers carried out a search warrant at a property in Castle Street, Thetford, to search for evidence of drug supply as part of Op Ounce, an investigation into the supply and distribution of controlled drugs into the Thetford and Breckland area.

After forcing entry, a significant amount of cannabis, cocaine, tablets of a controlled substance and criminal property was discovered worth more than £30,000 and Whisken was arrested. He was taken to Bury St Edmunds Police Investigation Centre for questioning and charged with drugs and firearms offences.

Whisken told officers he had cannabis in his kitchen and ‘sniff’ (cocaine) in his bedroom during the search. Officers searched the property and found white powder, tested as cocaine which totals 76.2g giving an estimated street value of £3,810 in Whisken’s bedroom.

Officers also discovered nine cannabis resin blocks in Whisken’s bedroom. The blocks had an estimated street value of £4,525 and were packaged and ready to be sold. Whisken also had a working taser on his bedside table.

Pills were found in Whisken’s bedroom wardrobe which contained multiple different types of tablet, such as ecstasy. In the kitchen area on the floor next to the oven which was a huge tub full of green herbal matter identified to be herbal cannabis. Dealer notes with names and a number believed to be money owed was located in the kitchen.

The court heard how officers also seized a heat-sealing bag machine. The bagged cannabis found at the address matched the plastic material used by the machine to seal individual quantities of an ounce. Further plastic wrapping used for the separation and distribution of drugs was located in the lounge along with three bags of cannabis and a jar of cannabis. The total amount of cannabis had an estimated street value of £23,744.

Officers searched the basement area and discovered a double- barrelled shot gun with two shot gun cartridges within close proximity to the gun. The shotgun was not in a locked gun cabinet and no occupants to the premises has a valid shotgun certificate.

Cash was also seized from Whisken’s wallet in his car, from his bedroom and kitchen totalling £3,340.

Image: Tyler Whisken