Saul Jones jailed after dead man’s phone exposed drug plot

Saul Jones, 26, from Basingstoke, was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court on August 11 after being convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Jones was also charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine, ketamine and cannabis, possessing criminal property and having hunting knives in public.

But it was evidence recovered from the phone of Max Alexander Clouter that helped investigators uncover the conspiracy, a detective told Winchester Coroner’s Court.

Detective Constable Petar Stoyanov, of Thames Valley Police’s organised crime unit, said: “It was his phone that triggered the whole thing.”

DC Stoyanov was giving evidence at the inquest into the death of Mr Clouter, 24, who died by suicide at his home in Richards Field, Chineham, on February 27, 2025.

The officer said the seized phone showed that Mr Clouter had been involved in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs as part of an organised crime group.

He described Mr Clouter as Jones’s “right-hand man”, claiming he was sent to collect between 2kg and 5kg of cocaine before it was divided between runners and local dealers.

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Winchester Crown Courts (Image: Newsquest)

DC Stoyanov said Mr Clouter and Jones had initially known each other because Mr Clouter owed Jones money, but they later became friends.

Messages found on the phone included discussions about women and other aspects of their lives, the court heard.

The detective said Jones fled the UK before returning in April 2026, when he was arrested. He was later sentenced to 15 years in prison at Winchester Crown Court.

The investigation also uncovered links to Mexico, the inquest heard.

DC Stoyanov said Mr Clouter and Jones had travelled there for some time, while Mr Clouter encouraged Jones to recruit an associate who later came to the UK.

The woman was provided with accommodation and a car and worked as a drugs runner, the court heard. She was also paid $250 in Mexico after the operation lost her services.

When the coroner asked whether the woman had been “for sale”, DC Stoyanov said the arrangement did not amount to modern slavery. He said she was paid, housed, and given a vehicle to carry out her work.

Mr Clouter had returned to the UK from Mexico on February 18, nine days before his death.

The coroner, Rosamund Rhodes-Kemp, said it appeared the lifestyle had contributed to Mr Clouter’s unhappiness.

“It would appear to me he clearly wasn’t a happy person,” she said. “All of this got on top of him and he couldn’t seek a way out.”

The inquest heard Mr Clouter had a history of substance misuse and had expressed thoughts of harming himself on the day he died.

His former partner said he told her he did not want to be here anymore, while his then-girlfriend said he told her and her daughter that he loved them before appearing to say goodbye.

The coroner recorded a conclusion of suicide. Mr Clouter died from a single gunshot wound to the head.

She said: “We will never know why, as he didn’t leave a note.”

Helplines 

If you would like any help with bereavement, loss or mental wellbeing, here are some helpline numbers:  

Call the Samaritans on 116 123 or go online at samaritans.org 

Child Bereavement UK 0800 028 8840 childbereavementuk.org 

Cruse Bereavement Care 0808 808 1677 cruse.org.uk  

Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) 0300 111 5065 uksobs.org