Corby drug boss Ralph Gabbidon handed 14 years behind bars after judge says he's caused 'inestimable misery' to the people of Corby

A Corby drug kingpin who styled himself using the codename ‘J’ has been given a 14-year jail term after a jury found him guilty of running a drug factory from his quiet flat on the Shire Lodge estate.

During his trial, Ralph Gabbidon had claimed he’d earned £54k last year building flat-pack furniture and running a music promotion business.

But a jury dismissed his wild defence and today (Friday, December 23), in a majority verdict, convicted him of possession with intent to supply cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, amphetamine and cannabis, of possession of £23,000 in criminal cash, and of possession of a deadly sawn-off shotgun and a modified starting pistol.

Now we can reveal that police have been after the 49-year-old Jamaican national for years. He’s known as a violent individual who’s previously been stabbed, but he had remained elusive and had only a handful of minor convictions under his belt despite operating as a drug dealer for an estimated 20 years.

Some locals were too scared to speak out publicly against Gabbidon, such was his fearsome reputation in Corby.

He was known to the town’s drug underworld as ‘J’ - the first initial of his middle name ‘Junior’. He operated out of two addresses, using five bank accounts, and had at least two cars including a Mercedes.

From his flat in Calder Close he ran a drug factory, preparing and mixing drugs with cutting agents before packaging them for sale by drugs runners around the town.

In court he denied being ‘J’, but in evidence that came too late to be admissible during the trial, the man whose name was on the lease at Calder Close said he’d always known him as the initial.

He’d used his business, RJ Logistics, as a cover for legitimising his earnings but the court was told he’d earned a ‘significant financial advantage’ from his drug dealing.

In his flat were found tick lists of his clients, as well as the names of those who had bought drugs on credit.

Sentencing him to seven years each for the drugs offences, and seven years for the firearms offences, to run consecutively, Recorder Graham Huston said: “Your flat was being used as a base to supply Class-A drugs.

"Drugs were mixed with other agents.. in the flat was drugs packaging for any product that was needed, that would then be sold on the streets to customers by runners who were contacted by mobile phones. It’s clear police interrupted a long-standing, sophisticated operation of class A and B drugs.

“The proceeds of drug dealing are evidenced, showing significant profits made by you personally. You found it necessary to keep a shotgun and blank firing pistol to protect the operation.

"It’s difficult to see how full responsibility cannot be laid at your door.

“The risks involved in drug dealing necessitated possession of the firearm. The risk meant the shotgun was kept to be used and if it was, there was bound to be a very high risk of death or serious injury.

"Your offending has caused inestimable misery and suffering to hundreds of individuals.”

When police raided his flat on May 31, they found him in his boxer shorts surrounded by 90g of crack cocaine, 387g of cocaine, 70g of heroin, 532g of unidentified class-A drugs, 430g of cannabis, 690g of amphetamine, cutting agents, £23,000 in cash, 30 mobile phones, plastic for wrapping drugs and weighing scales.

There was also a modified starting pistol found in a cupboard with a shotgun described as a ‘very dangerous weapon’. In court, Gabbidon said that he was the victim, and that two men called L-J and Barney had forced their way in and threatened to stab him if he didn’t let them use his property as their stash house.

Gabbidon has only three previous convictions for nine offences, including possession of methadone in 2018, possession of £6,000 of criminal property, as well as possession of small amounts of crack cocaine and cocaine. He also has a 20-year-old conviction for perverting the course of justice. But this is believed to be his first jail term.

In mitigation, the court heard Gabbidon – who had pleaded not guilty to all the charges – had a good relationship with all three of his children, one of whom has autism, and that there was no evidence he had ever used the gun. He was ordered to serve at least seven years of his 14-year jail term before he becomes eligible for release.

A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing will take place in May, where Gabbidon may be forced to relinquish any property deemed by the court to be the proceeds of his criminal activity.