Camberwell man jailed for role in county lines drugs supply

A man has been jailed for three years and four months for his role in a county lines network that moved drugs between London and Kent.

Oludewa Okorosobo, 25, of Flaxman Road, Camberwell was sentenced for three counts of conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs including heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.

Detectives from the Met’s Violent Crime Taskforce stopped Okorosobo’s car in Denmark Hill earlier this year on the morning of February 28.

Okorosobo was inside with Seif Khalid Hashim, 20, from West Ham and a third man.

All three were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs Okorosobo’s mobile phone was found, which officers believed was being used to run a county line – a drug supply service – called “Freddie” between London and Medway in Kent.

Detectives found a second mobile phone from the back seat of the car. Digital forensic analysis of this later identified messages that showed it was being used to run a second county lines network by the name of “Sam”.

After arresting the duo, Met detectives searched Okorosobo’s address and found a pack of heroin.

They also searched Hashim’s address and found six packs of heroin and cocaine with a total street value of £3,460.

Okorosobo and Hashim pleaded guilty to all three charges.

A third male, aged 17, who was subsequently arrested, was found not guilty of two counts of conspiracy to supply a Class A drug.

Okorosobo and Hashim were also given a Criminal Behaviour Order for five years.

The order restricts them from being in a public place together, entering a designated area of the Medway area of Kent, being in possession of more than two mobile phone SIM cards registered in their name, and being together in public in a group of two or more acting in a manner likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress or causing another to fear for their safety.

Detective constable Ray Sekalongo said: “The phones had been used to send hundreds of messages at a time, advertising the availability of drugs to potential buyers from October 2017.

The men used coded language in many of the messages, which we were able to decipher to prove what they were doing.”

DC Sekalongo, added: “County lines activity has far-reaching consequences for communities. Violence, child trafficking and, of course, drug addiction are all linked to these toxic networks.

By putting Okorosobo and Hashim before the courts, we have ensured that there are two fewer people bringing this kind of misery to Kent.

“The Met is working hard with the National Crime Agency and police forces across the country to make the UK a hostile place for county gangs to operate in.

Communities also have a role in doing this – they can report any suspected drug crime by calling police or Crimestoppers.”

To report suspected drug crime, or alert us to someone you think might be vulnerable, call police via 101. If you don’t want to tell police, then contact Crimestoppers – an independent charity – anonymously on 0800 555 111.

If you are a young person, you can also contact Fearless, they are an independent charity that lets you pass on information about crime 100 per cent anonymously.