Drug dealer jailed for £2.1m cocaine plot

News imageHumberside Police Police custody photograph of Ben Whitby. He has short dark hair and beard, tattoos around his neck and is wearing an orange high-visibility topHumberside Police
Ben Whitby was jailed for eight years and two months at Grimsby Crown Court

A man has been jailed for eight years and two months after admitting dealing cocaine and cannabis worth more than £2m across North East Lincolnshire.

An investigation was launched in April 2025 after police seized a phone from a man that had messages from Ben Whitby "directing, instructing and co-ordinating drug supply activity", Humberside Police said.

After Whitby was arrested for a traffic offence in August the same year, a search of his car found a quantity of drugs.

Whitby, 35, of Fisher Place in Cleethorpes, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying Class A and Class B drugs and was sentenced at Grimsby Crown Court on 30 January.

Police said analysis of his mobile phone found evidence that he was involved in supplying between six to 21kg of cocaine.

Detective Inspector Jim Clarke said: "Investigating and tackling serious organised crime remains a priority for our force.

"We are committed to dismantling drugs networks, protecting those at risk of exploitation, and ensuring offenders like Whitby are held fully accountable."

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