Dorset Police officers have taken drugs off the streets of Dorchester and Weymouth and ensured the dealer was put behind bars.
On Friday 14 July 2023, a black holdall containing a large amount of cash and drugs was found in the garden by the resident of an address in Inglescombe Street.
The bag was seized and inside was a letter addressed to 28-year-old Samuel Edward Gillies of Dorchester.
Gillies was arrested and while the investigation was continuing, forensic analysis found a fingerprint on the packaging of the drugs that was a match to the defendant.
On Saturday 26 July 2025, officers attended an address in Williams Street in Weymouth to carry out enquiries.
Gillies was inside the property, which was searched, and a large quantity of cannabis, cocaine, ketamine and cash was found.
In addition to this, a gold knuckleduster and a Taser were also located, and Gillies was arrested.
In total at the address in Weymouth, 19.6kg of cannabis was seized, 1.4kg of ketamine and around 1.5kg of cocaine, as well as £25,520 in cash.
At court, Gillies pleaded guilty to possession of an incapacitation device, possession with intent to supply controlled drugs of class A and class B, possession of an offensive weapon in a private place and money laundering.
He was sentenced to seven years and eight months in prison at Salisbury Crown Court on Monday 15 December 2025.
Neighbourhood Inspector Sam Goom, of Weymouth police, said: “Illegal drug supply can have a very significant impact on our communities and we are determined to make sure that Dorset is no place for drugs.
“The address in Weymouth was listed on Airbnb and had been rented out at the time Gillies was found there. Crime scene investigators carried out detailed searches and images taken from within show the drugs that were being stored and the poor quality in which the address was being kept in.
“We would like to take this opportunity to remind homeowners who let out their properties to ensure that they carry out stringent checks to make sure they know who is staying in their residencies and how they plan on using the property.
“I would continue to urge everyone to report any information or intelligence around suspected drug-related activity so we can continue to make an impact.”
Anyone who suspects drug dealing or suspicious activity is taking place in their community can report it to either Crimestoppers anonymously or police. You can report this to Dorset Police online via the website. You can contact Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or visiting their website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/
