25 February 2023 , 09:29
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Police watching a member of a ‘highly sophisticated’ drug ring said most of the man’s movements recorded by detectives were him playing Pokemon Go on his phone.
Undercover officers followed Raymond Phipps covertly as part of their 12-month investigation into the 'well-organised' drugs gang.
Phipps worked as a fixer for the crew, which operated in Andover and Basingstoke in Hampshire supplying cocaine, a court heard.
But most of the movements police tracked actually involved Phipps playing video game Pokemon Go - the popular mobile game where players virtually 'catch' and 'battle' creatures by travelling to different real-world locations.
Phipps has now been jailed for five years for his part in the cocaine gang which supplied the class A substance.
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Pokemon GO is one of the most popular mobile games in the world (NurPhoto via Getty Images)Phipps - found guilty of being concerned in the supply of and a conspiracy to supply of cocaine - was one of seven convicted of drugs charges, five of whom were previously jailed for more than 20 years.
A sixth person also pleaded guilty to the charges and an eighth man was charged and dealt with separately before police found that they were all part of a drug line.
The drugs operation was described as 'effective, efficient and well-organised', with fixer Phipps serving as a 'middleman' in the gang.
The father was also caught with £13,350 cash in a Morrison's carrier bag - which he claimed was a wedding gift from his grandmother.
At Winchester Crown Court, Hants, barrister Ioana Nedelcu, defending, said most of Phipps' movements were of him playing Pokemon rather than participating in drug dealing.
In sentencing, Judge Nicholas Haggan said it was a 'highly sophisticated and well-organised operation' which involved the use of multiple mobile phones and numbers.
Jailing Phipps, from Basingstoke, the judge said: "The offences you have committed are so serious that neither a fine alone nor a community penalty can be justified.
"However, having considered your personal mitigations with regard to your health, and the length of time you were waiting for the trial, I order you to a term of five years in prison."