Paddleboarder pulls bag of drugs from river after bungling dealer jumps in water to flee police

A drug dealer jumped through a bush and into a river as he ran, and swam, to get away from officers who were chasing him.

Police bodycam video shows the dealer emerging from the water, soaking wet, onto the riverbank in St Neots a few minutes later having tied his man bag to some hanging branches, Cambridgeshire Police said.

A paddleboarder helped officers to retrieve the bag, which contained £325 in cash as well as cocaine, ecstasy and ketamine – with a street value of £2,000.

In the bodycam footage, an officer chasing the man shouts “wait there mate” before the suspect leaps through some foliage.

A splash is heard, and the officer says: “Oh Jesus. He’s jumped in the river.”

When the sodden dealer hauls himself onto the grass bank where officers are waiting, he says: “What it was yeah is I was so scared because I’d been smoking a joint.”

One of the waiting officers says “Come on, out you pop”, while a second observes “you’ve lost your bag as well mate – surprisingly”.

The force said Fynley Jefferies later admitted to possession with intent to supply cocaine and MDMA, possession of cannabis and harassment without violence and malicious communication.

The 20-year-old, of Parker Close, Eynesbury, was sentenced on Tuesday at Cambridge Crown Court to three years and 11 months in prison, police said.

Neighbourhood officers had been on patrol in St Neots on August 21 last year when they spotted Jefferies sat on a fence on Hardwick Road with a man bag across his front and a black plastic bag.

As they turned round to speak to him, he ran off, went through some bushes and jumped into the river.

He stayed in the water for a few minutes and was witnessed tying his bag to some hanging branches before getting out to meet officers.

The team approached a member of the public with a paddleboard and with their help were able to retrieve the man bag.

Pc Neal Bartley, from the St Neots neighbourhood policing team, said: “Jefferies put his life at risk by jumping into the river in an attempt to hide his drugs and cash from us.

“Unfortunately for him we knew exactly what he was up to and with help from a member of the public, we were able to secure the evidence needed for his conviction.

“We will continue to target people who sell drugs in our community.”