A 22-year-old man has been jailed for two years and four months at Portsmouth Crown Court today (Friday 9 January) after admitting being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin in Portsmouth.

Joshua Padilla Ammen of Alver Road in the city had previously admitted both offences at an earlier hearing at the same court on 1 September 2025.

Officers from Portsmouth’s Priority Crime Team detained Ammen for a stop search on Elm Grove in Southsea on 4 March 2024. During the search they seized a phone that they later established was the deal phone for the ‘LA’ drug line in the city and had been advertising crack cocaine and heroin.

‘County line’ refers to when drug gangs from major cities set up networks in regional areas and use vulnerable people and children to carry, store and sell their drugs for them. The line refers to the phone line being used.

Following a detailed investigation Ammen was charged in relation to what was found on the phone and the ’LA’ drugs line was closed down in the city preventing harm to people in local communities.

Sergeant Lewis Swan from the Portsmouth Priority Crime Team said: “Today’s sentence sends a clear message to people like Ammen that we will not tolerate the supply of drugs like crack cocaine and heroin in Portsmouth. We will relentlessly pursue you until you face a day in court if you take part in similar activities.

“Drug supply causes harm and misery to our communities and we will continue disrupting it and making sure that our city is a hostile environment for drug dealers to operate in.

“We encourage anyone who suspects drug related activity to be taking place in their neighbourhood to report it to us. Every piece of information helps us to build a stronger intelligence picture and allows us to take action”.

You can make a report by calling 101 or by visiting our website https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/ocr/af/how-to-report-a-crime/

Alternatively, you can report to Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via their website https://crimestoppers-uk.org/

Spotting the signs

We encourage our communities to spot the signs that someone might be involved in drugs supply, and to report any suspicious activity to us via 101, the Hampshire Constabulary website or Crimestoppers where reports can be made 100% anonymously.

Some of the things to look out for and consider include:

• Do you know someone who is always going missing from school or their home?
• Are they travelling alone to places far away from home?
• Do they suddenly have lots of money/lots of new clothes/new mobile phones?
• Are they receiving much more calls or texts than usual?
• Are they carrying or selling drugs?
• Are they carrying weapons or know people that have access to weapons?
• Are they in a relationship with or hanging out with someone/people that are older and controlling?
• Do they have unexplained injuries?
• Do they seem very reserved or seem like they have something to hide?
• Do they seem scared?
• Are they self-harming?