A Penzance man has been sentenced to five years in prison for drug offences.

Daniel Lawrence, 41, of St Dominic Street, was sentenced at Truro Crown Court on January 5.

Lawrence’s arrest took place on September 14, 2022 when, as part of a proactive operation, officers carried out a warrant at a property after receiving information about drugs supply in the area.

On entering the property, Lawrence was located in the bathroom and officers believed he had flushed drugs down the toilet. Officers located a drain in the back garden coming from the property and within found a plastic bag containing Class A drugs. This was later confirmed to be around 37g of heroin, with a street value of over £3,700.

Lawrence was also found to have a quantity of cash in his pockets, and over £2,000 was located in his bedroom.

He was arrested and later charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and money laundering. He denied both the charges and was remanded in custody.

Lawrence stood trial at Truro Crown Court last week where he was found guilty by a jury.

Investigating officer, DC Rhys Salisbury said: “This investigation stemmed from a three-day proactive operation across Cornwall during September 2022.

“The intention of this operation was to tackle drug dealing in our towns. The result of this specific investigation is down to a collaborative effort of officers from the local Neighbourhood Team, Force Support Group, British Transport Police, Financial investigation team, Proactive Disruption Team and Criminal Investigation Department.

“Having secured and finalised a conviction such as this, in this amount of time is a really positive result.”

He added: “The drug trade often use and exploit vulnerable individuals for illicit gain, this can result in significant harm to the community. We are sending a clear message that we are committed to supporting the communities and will pursue those who attempt to exploit this trade within Devon & Cornwall.”