Ticket stop leads to five-year jail term for drug dealer at West Croydon

A man caught carrying Class A drugs after being stopped over a ticket issue at a south London railway station has been jailed for more than five years following an investigation by British Transport Police.

Jerome Alexander Simpson-O’Conner, 31, of Howson Road in Lewisham, was sentenced at the Central Criminal Court on Tuesday 23 December to five years and eight months in prison. He had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

The case dates back to 2 October 2025, when officers from BTP’s County Lines Taskforce were deployed at West Croydon railway station alongside colleagues from the Metropolitan Police and Surrey Police as part of an operation focused on tackling drugs, weapons and robbery on the rail network.

At around 4.15pm, Simpson-O’Conner was stopped as he attempted to leave the station after disembarking from a train. Officers initially challenged him over a ticket matter and subsequently carried out a search under Section 23 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971.

During the encounter, Simpson-O’Conner became hostile and attempted to flee. He was quickly detained, and officers saw him discard a package containing Class A drugs during the struggle. A search also uncovered two mobile phones on his person.

He was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and taken into custody. Further enquiries led officers to search an address he claimed was his home, where they discovered a tenancy agreement linking him to a second property.

A search of that address uncovered additional quantities of crack cocaine and heroin hidden inside a shoe, along with weighing scales, a lock knife and five more mobile phones. One of the devices was found to be advertising drugs for sale. In total, officers recovered almost 15 grams of crack cocaine and just over 12 grams of heroin.

Simpson-O’Conner answered no comment to all questions during police interview.

Sergeant Julian Mason from British Transport Police’s County Lines Taskforce said:

“Simpson-O’Conner tried to frustrate us at each step, first by attempting to escape, answering no comment in interview, and distancing himself from his actual address, but officers worked tenaciously with partners including the CPS and that has led to his significant sentence. The supply of Class A drugs is inextricably linked to violence and misery in communities, including the exploitation of vulnerable people. I hope his time behind bars allows Simpson-O’Conner to think about his actions. I also would like to take this opportunity to highlight the exceptional work of the officers and staff and partner agencies involved in the investigation.”

Image: British Transport Police