Three jailed for gun and drugs possession in Croydon
Two men and a woman have been jailed for possession of a gun and selling class A drugs.
Yoshika Smith, 23, of Canning Road, Croydon, was jailed for six years for her part in the transporting the gun and dropping off drugs around South London.
Hugo Maldonado, 22, of Gedge Court, Mitcham, had been telling Smith where to deliver the drugs using WhatsApp messages and instructed her to pick up a bag near a petrol station in Whitehorse Road, Croydon.
Joshua Anyanwu, 28, of Whitehorse Road, Croydon, approached Smith’s blue Ford Fiesta, which was already under surveillance by police that day, and got in the front seat.
Anyanwu was in the car for a short amount of time and as Smith drove away armed officers stopped her car and found the gun.
Maldonado was sentenced to 12 years for possessing a gun and four and a half years for selling class A drugs.
Anyanwu was given 14 years for possession of a gun with intent to endanger life.
Prior to the trial, Maldonado and Smith had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class-A drugs. Smith had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm, without intent to endanger life.
During trial Maldonado and Anyanwu both also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life.
Detective constable Mick Grimshaw led the investigation and said: “It is so important that we continue the fight against illegal firearms on our streets.
“Not only that, but these convictions have allowed us to remove a significant drug line out of South London. We want to do all we can to remove Class-A drugs, like cocaine, from our communities to make it a safer place to live.
“Drug-dealing has a deeply negative impact on the lives of many and is closely linked to the violence we see on our streets.
“Bringing a firearm into a situation like this, particularly in the case of Maldonado and Anyanwu, only incites and encourages this violence to occur.
“If we had not recovered the weapon, the result could have been an innocent member of public paying the ultimate price.”
If you have information but don’t want to speak to police, please contact the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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