Police from the County Lines and Gangs Team successfully dismantled a significant drug operation with a major cash seizure during a raid on a Hackney property in late July. Officers discovered a suitcase stuffed with cash estimated at around £500,000 at a London address connected to county line dealers operating in north Kent.
The Hackney raid was one of nine warrants executed on 28 July, part of a wider operation involving 18 searches throughout the month. These coordinated efforts led to the arrest of 36 suspects and resulted in a combined total of 44 years’ worth of prison sentences being secured through the courts.
Among those arrested was 26-year-old Oluwaseyi Oyeyemi, who was stopped following a violent street fight on Lowfield Street on 17 July. He faces multiple charges including possession of cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply, knife possession, assault on emergency workers, and money laundering. Oyeyemi was remanded in custody ahead of a Maidstone Crown Court hearing scheduled for August.
His alleged accomplice, 21-year-old Hinzague Hanson from Gravesend, is charged with wounding with intent and is also in custody awaiting trial.
On the same day as the Hackney raid, officers conducted a dramatic operation at a flat on Orchard Street, Dartford. During the raid, a man jumped from a second-floor window, clinging to a ledge before being rescued by police. Tevin Mendez, 28, and Keiron Wheatley, 29, were arrested and charged with multiple counts of class A drug offences and possession of criminal property. Both appeared at Medway Magistrates Court, with their next hearing scheduled at Woolwich Crown Court.
Earlier in May, undercover officers apprehended 19-year-old Odyssius Ojo in Gillingham for supplying class A drugs. Ojo pleaded guilty to drug supply and laundering £230 in criminal proceeds. He was sentenced to two and a half years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court last month.
Detective Superintendent Shaun White commented on the operation: “The action last month was a result of months of hard work and planning by the County Lines and Gangs Team. The officers have been successful in taking a large number of drugs off the streets and arrested over 30 people.”
He added, “The cash seizures will cause significant disruption to the drug supply network. This is money the dealers need to rent properties to run their illegal operations and the seizure of their assets will prevent them from starting up their illicit trade in our community.”
Detective Superintendent White concluded, “Though the success in July is encouraging, we will not rest on our laurels and will be hot on the heels of the next dealers ready to fill the shoes of those we have removed from the streets.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
