Three young men have appeared in court after police discovered an organised drug operation being run from an address in Swindon.

Quiston Da Silva, 22, of Curtis Street, Bosco Fernandes, 24, of Theobald Street and Richie Lobo, 21, of Summers Street, appeared at Swindon Magistrates’ Court on November 29.

Da Silva was charged with the supply of cocaine, cannabis and ecstasy and the possession of cannabis and nitrous oxide, while Fernandes and Lobo were charged in connection with the supply of ecstasy cocaine and cannabis.

The trio did not enter a plea on November 29.

Ms Winters, prosecuting, told the court these allegations dated from November 1, 2023, to November 27, 2024, and the men were believed to be behind the ‘South West Dropz’ drug profile, which operated on Snapchat with 304 subscribers and enabled people to purchase a range of drugs.

She explained that Fernandes rented a room in a HMO on Summers Street but Da Silva had provided his driver’s licence as a form of ID to allow them to rent the room.

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Two officers on patrol stopped a vehicle containing Fernandes and Lobo which they believed to be evading them and they saw evidence of a recent drug ‘drop’ at the Summers Street address just 20 minutes prior to being arrested, which instructed the money should be sent to Da Silva.

All three men had a key to the property and officers found drugs and paraphernalia, including between £2,000 to £2,800 worth of cocaine, £16,000 to £43,000 of cannabis and around £800 of ecstasy, along with just over £2,000 in cash.

Ms Winters described it as an "intelligent and well put together organisation" in which all three men seemed to play an active role in supplying drugs.

Tesco worker Da Silva's, defence argued there were “more questions than answers at this point” about his involvement, as police are still investigating the scale of the operation.

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Fernandes, who also was a Tesco employee, was found to have a tick list and ledger and police are investigating a possible involvement with the importation of drugs from the United States, as officers seized an envelope which was sent to him containing cannabis.

In mitigation, Mr Mott, defending, said Fernandes told officers in his interview that the phone was his but his friends often use it, he admitted being in possession of weed but denied selling it, denied knowing Da Silva and said he was holding the keys for the Summers Street address for someone else.

Mr Mott suggested Fernandes, “stumbled into the operation” rather than being the “mastermind” behind it.

Meanwhile, Mr Mott said Lobo told him he does not get involved in the supply of drugs and it is “not his life” and he was “horrified to see the inside of a cell.”

Police found evidence Lobo was also involved in the scheme and found a burner phone in his underwear, which he claimed he kept because he was scared of being robbed.

Additionally, Lobo admitted knowing his alleged co-defendants from college but denied going to the Summers Street address, which is down the road from his home address, and he does not know how the key got onto his key ring.

The bench decided not to grant any of the men bail, despite Da Silva and Fernandes having no prior convictions and Lobo having an unrelated conviction.

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The Magistrate told them individually: “There are substantial grounds to believe you will not come back to court.

“There’s significant drug debt to repay and the likelihood you will commit further offences to clear it is significant.”

She warned there was a “real possibility” of a custodial sentence if they were found guilty.

The trio will be remanded in custody until a plea and trial hearing at Swindon Crown Court on January 3, 2025.

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