A drug dealer caught on CCTV singing about “dirty cash” while counting stacks of illicit money has been sentenced to 15 years behind bars. Bertie Payne, 30, ran a massive East Kent drugs empire, using a luxury watch business as a sneaky front to launder millions.
Luxury Watches and Cocaine: The Perfect Cover-up
From August 2024 to January 2025, Payne led a gang flooding East Kent with 24kg of cocaine, 10kg of ketamine, and 5,000 ecstasy pills. His posh watch business churned out fake invoices to hide the dirty money’s trail.
He was caught red-handed at Bluewater car park on January 24, 2025. Just as he was about to hand over £50,000 in cash, officers swooped. Both men rocked flashy watches and had stacks of them stashed in their cars, immediately raising suspicion.
Caught on Camera Singing ‘Dirty Cash’
Police seized CCTV from the watch business office where Payne was filmed not only counting wads of cash but also singing the song “Dirty Cash.” This cheeky footage sealed his downfall.
Phone analysis exposed a vast network involved in moving the drugs and laundering money — including crypto transactions. Over 2,100 texts between Payne and his right-hand man Peter Nicholls, 51, revealed the scale of their operation.
Gang Sentenced: Justice Served
- Bertie Payne – 15 years
- Peter Nicholls – 8 years
- Karen Gordon (drug storage) – 4 years 3 months
- Halim Lashi – 2 years suspended
- Reece Stovell – 6 years
- Harry Hathaway – 5 years 3 months
- Klein Taylor – 3 years 4 months
- Mitchell Laing – 2 years 9 months
- Massimo Fierro – 2 years 8 months
Detective Constable Martin Lacey said: “Payne went to great lengths to hide his criminal empire – using a legitimate business and recruiting others to do the dirty work. This was a massive operation distributing over £800,000 worth of drugs, ruining lives and devastating families.”
He added: “Payne thought he was untouchable, but crime doesn’t pay. If you break the law, you WILL be caught and punished.”
