A Surbiton man was sentenced to over five years in jail for possession with intent to supply Class A drugs Monday (February 11).

Christopher Panzo, 22, from Surbiton, pleaded guilty to four counts of possession with intent to supply class A drugs, including diamorphine and crack cocaine, and one count of assaulting an emergency worker when he appeared at Guildford Crown Court on Friday (8 February).

In total he received a five-year, three-month custodial sentence.

Mr Panzo was arrested after he was spotted driving at speed through Epsom on November 30, 2018. An unmarked police car followed him through Ewell and into Ewell West train station car park.

He was stopped after police officers spotted what appeared to be controlled substances inside his car, and initially resisted arrest by abandoning his vehicle and fleeing on foot.

The car and its contents were seized by officers and following forensic work carried out on the vehicle and the suspected drugs, Panzo was identified and tracked down to his home address where he was arrested on January 7, 2019.

Officers carried out a search of Panzo’s home and found phones, cash and further packages of Class A drugs.

Investigating officer PC Edward Bush said: "This was a good result in court today. We would encourage you to come forward if you suspect anyone is involved in drug dealing. Common things to expect would be for the dealer to be driven around by a Class A drug user, as well as having control of an address of a vulnerable person."