The Law Today The Drug Files

  A drug dealer who tried to evade capture by driving double the speed-limit on the wrong side of the road has been jailed. Zakariya Taibi, 21 [6.4.00], of Wickham Lane, Greenwich, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of class A and class B drugs, possession of criminal property and dangerous driving at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, 27 July. He was sentenced immediately afterwards to four years and two months’ imprisonment. He was also disqualified from driving for 49 months, which will cover the time he is released on licence. At the time of the offence he had only just been released from prison for similar offences. The court heard that on Sunday, 27 June plain clothes officers from the Met’s South East Violence Suppression Unit were on general patrol in Shooters Hill Road, Charlton, when their attention was drawn to a moped that was driving erratically and heading towards Woolwich. The officers immediately turned around and followed it. A vehicle pursuit ensued aft...

  A county lines gang that trafficked a vulnerable London schoolboy to Wales where he was exploited as a drugs runner have been jailed for a total of more than 40 years. Five men were sentenced over two days on Thursday, 29 July and Friday, 30 July at Kingston Crown Court as follows: Jemy Capitao, 28 (24.04.93), of Llanelli, Wales was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment. He pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and possessing criminal property before the five week trial. Part-way through the trial, he also admitted one count of arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploit Basky Capitao, 27 (01.06.94), of Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment. He was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and arranging or facilitating the travel of another person with a view to exploit. Harvey Kimpton, 21 (23.03.00), of Harlow, Essex was sentenced to 11 years’ imprisonment. He plead...

  Officers targeting gun crime and gang activity made a further arrest yesterday following a foot chase. Proactive patrols in Newham, east London, resulted in the detention and arrest of a 19-year-old man for possession with intent to supply a class B drug. The arrest took place during an operation by the Met’s Viper teams who aim to identify, arrest and disrupt those behind gun violence. Officers also targeted known gang members linked to violence, weapons and the supply of drugs. Throughout the day, multiple vehicles were stopped and searched, leading to the discovery of a hide in a Ford Mondeo. Criminals often use highly-sophisticated hides in vehicles to transport weapons, drugs and money. A second man, aged 22, was stopped and issued a postal requisition charge for possessing a class B drug. Earlier in the operation, officers were joined by Commissioner Cressida Dick and Mayor Sadiq Khan. It came as a record number of firearms were seized by the Met amid on ongoing crackdown o...

  Officers investigating drug supply in Southwark have made 12 arrests following an eight month proactive operation. On Wednesday, 21 July, officers from Southwark Safer Neighbourhoods team and the local CID, along with officers from the Met’s Central Specialist Crime, led an operation focused on the disruption of suspected offenders operating in the Peckham and Old Kent Road areas. Officers, assisted by the Met’s Territorial Support Group (TSG) and colleagues from the National Crime Agency (NCA), targeted 16 addresses in south London in raids starting early on Wednesday morning. In total, 12 males – aged between 16 and 55 – were arrested on suspicion of offences including supply of Class A drugs, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs. Searches at the addresses have concluded and officers have seized a quantity of what is believed to be Class A and Class B drugs, as well as a stash of cash. The investigation was launched in December 2...

  drug dealer who caused fatal injuries to a man in Hackney after he punched and stamped on him has been convicted of murder. why murder and not manslaughter ? Romayne Husbands, 28 (20.05.93) of no fixed address, was found guilty on Wednesday, 21 July, by a jury after a four-week trial at Snaresbrook Crown Court. Husbands pleaded guilty to a charge of possession with intent to supply crack cocaine at the start of the trial. He will be sentenced on a date to be confirmed. The court heard how on 25 April 2020 at around 12:30hrs, the victim, 27-year-old Jay John, was in Trinity Close, E8, outside the communal door of a block of flats when Husbands attacked him. Witnesses described how, unprovoked, Husbands punched Jay once in the face and then stamped four to six times on his upper body area. Husbands was arrested a short time later by officers called to the scene. He was arrested in a nearby flat and found to have discarded 59 grams of cocaine. Jay was found unconscious, but breathin...

  Eight people have been charged after a number of drugs warrants were carried out in south London. On Wednesday, 21 July, officers carried out a number of warrants in Southwark in relation to drugs offences. The following people were all charged on Wednesday, 21 July and appeared at Croydon Magistrates' Court on Thursday, 22 July : Ismael Abourahman, 39 (12.05.82) of Avondale Rise, SE15 was charged with supplying a Class A drug (crack cocaine); three counts of offering to supply a Class A drug (crack cocaine); possessing a Class B drug (cannabis/cannabis resin; and four counts of supplying a Class B drug (cannabis). Abdourahman pleaded not guilty to all offences except possession of cannabis and has been remanded. He will next appear at Inner Crown Court on Thursday, 19 August. Rushard Brown, 25 (10.10.95) of Hastings Close, SE15 was charged with three counts of being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug (crack cocaine); possessing a Class B drug (cannabis/cannabis resin); an...

  I ntelligence received from the public has led to police seizing a large quantity of illegal drugs suspected to be worth more than £1million following a warrant at an address in Hackney. Officers from the Central East Command Unit executed the warrant at the location in Church Street, Stoke Newington on Tuesday, 13 July following receipt of information that drugs were being stored. In the unoccupied address they found a huge quantity of class A, B and C drugs including approximately 51kg of pills, some suspected to be MDMA, along with approximately 6kg of ketamine, 4kg of crack, 4kg of cocaine, and 5kg of hash and cannabis resin. An investigation into the venue is under way, led by the Central East Drugs Focus Desk. There have been no arrests at this time. are there any drug driving loopholes ? Detective Sergeant Green Preston said : "This is a great example of the police working with the public to tackle drug supply within our communities. Drugs are inextricably linked to viole...

  fficers have executed a series of early morning warrants aimed at disrupting drugs supply in and around Croydon. On the morning of Friday, 23 July, local officers from the South Area Command Unit, supported by specialist assets including firearms officers, the Territorial Support Group (TSG) and the Dog Unit, carried out warrants at ten addresses across the New Addington area. A total of seven people have been arrested, predominantly on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and B drugs – quantities of drugs have been recovered along with two knives. At this time, they all those arrested remain in custody at south London police stations. This morning’s warrants comprised of around 275 officers and has been put together using ongoing intelligence to identify individuals and venues used for drug dealing. Detective Inspector Claire Christmas from the South Area Command Unit said: “Drug dealing and the associated criminality that accompanies it brings misery to communi...

  A man has been sentenced at Croydon Crown Court after he was chased by officers following a proactive vehicle stop in Clapham during part of wider Operation Sceptre activity, a national proactive week to tackle knife crime. Terrel Doyley, 23 (28.10.97) of Gosling Way, Lambeth was sentenced on Tuesday, 29 June to six months' imprisonment for possession of a bladed weapon and an additional day imprisonment for possession of a Class C drug. This comes after he pleaded guilty to both counts on Friday, 28 May. The court heard that on 12 November 2020, at around 16:10hrs, officers from the Violent Crime Task Force had cause to stop a vehicle that Doyley was travelling in along Clapham Common Southside towards Balham. Upon the vehicle being stopped, the rear passenger door flew open and Doyley ran from the police. Officers gave chase and he was detained on Lynette Avenue. Doyley was searched and was found to have cannabis in his coat. During a search of the route Doyley had taken, a mem...

  A man and a woman have been jailed for a total of 24 years after being convicted of drugs and firearms offences. Jermequic Harrison, 30 (25.04.91), of the Clapham Road Estate, Peckham and Rhianna McLeggan, 27 (25.03.94), of Chadwick Road, Slough appeared for sentencing at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday, 18 June. Harrison was sentenced to 18 years' imprisonment having previously been convicted of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to possess firearms. McLeggan had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment. The investigation into the pair began when officers from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, with support from firearms officers, executed a search warrant at an address in Clitterhouse Crescent, Cricklewood on October 18, 2019. During the search, a firearm and fourteen rounds of ammunition were recovered. Forensic evidence linked Harrison to t...

  Detectives from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command have charged six men and one woman following an operation to tackle the exploitation of children into county lines activity. The following appeared in custody at Highbury Corner Magistrates’ Court on Saturday, 19 June and were remanded to appear at the same court on Friday, 16 July: [A] Muhammed Khan, 21 (23.06.00) of Davenport Gardens, Ilford was charged with three counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug, acquire/use/possess criminal property and conspire to supply a Class B drug. [B] Rizwan Ahmad, 26 (22.03.95) of Stonehall Avenue, Ilford was charged with three counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drugs, acquire/use/possess criminal property and conspiracy to supply a Class B drug. [C] Kamran Ahmad, 26 (30.01.95) of Stonehall Avenue, Ilford was charged with conspiracy to supply a Class B drug, three counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug and acquire/use/possess criminal property. [D] Kyle Francis, 20 (11.01.01)...

  Officers investigating the exploitation of children into County Lines activity have carried out early morning raids in east London. On Thursday, 17 June, officers from Met’s Central Specialist Crime, along with officers from North East Command, led an operation that focused on the disruption of a suspected organised crime network operating in east London.   Four east London addresses were targeted simultaneously, three in Ilford and one in Newham, alongside the production of two men already in prison. A total of seven men and one woman were arrested, aged between 19 and 56 years old, on suspicion of offences including conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, modern slavery and human trafficking. Searches at the addresses continue but officers have so far seized a large quantity of cash and Class B drugs.   The investigation was launched in October 2020 after officers identified a ring of people involved in widespread drug supply across east London and Essex. One suspect was ...