More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
This is the dramatic moment officers arrested two suspected drug dealers as part of its crackdown on the county lines drug supply in Kent.
Prison sentences totalling more than 25 years were secured last month by officers from the county line and gang team.
Watch: Police arrest suspected drug dealers in Chatham last month
Throughout the same month, investigations have also led to the arrests of 20 suspects and resulted in 28 new charges, during continuing enforcement to proactively target criminals who travel into Kent to supply Class A drugs.
Among those jailed was Teniola Olanipekun, a 27-year-old drug dealer from Peckham who controlled a county line into Folkestone.
He received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence after he was found inside a Folkestone property with a burner-style phone, used to co-ordinate the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.
Leon Davis, 22, of Maran Way, Erith, London was also sentenced, receiving six years imprisonment after evidence showed he had been supplying Class A drugs into areas of Margate.
Officers continue to proactively patrol and arrest suspects across Kent, including areas of Maidstone, Medway and Swale.
Among those stopped last month was 19-year-old Imad Talbi, who is alleged to have travelled from Clapton, London to supply drugs into Chatham.
On November 12, he was charged in connection with the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and is currently remanded in custody awaiting trial.
Arlind Naboli, aged 25, from north London, was charged with possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply after a suspicious vehicle was stopped in Maidstone. He is currently also remanded, pending a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court later this month.
As well as stop and search and vehicle checks, the county line and gang team also gathers intelligence on identified supply chains, which can lead to searching homes and properties linked to suspects.
Leon Wilson, 36, was arrested on November 25 after a search warrant was executed at an address in Grove Road, Maidstone, where cash and drugs were seized.
He was later charged with a number of offences linked to drugs supply and is currently remanded, pending a hearing at Maidstone Crown Court on December 23.
On November 12, a search of a property in Bartley Mill Road, Lamberhurst, led to the discovery of drugs with an estimated street value of up to £8,000.
Cosmo Budd, 23, was arrested along with Hussain Alwari, 25. They were charged with possessing cocaine with intent to supply and with being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
'County lines drug supply can have a devastating effect...'
Both men are remanded in custody and will next appear at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday, December 14.
DCI Matt Talboys said: "There will be no let-up in our relentless determination to identify, arrest and prosecute those who seek to exploit some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
"County lines drug supply can have a devastating effect, not only to those who dealers target with heroin and crack cocaine, but also children and vulnerable adults who are used to convey drugs and money and are subject to coercion, intimidation and violence.
"I would like to reassure residents that our intelligence around these corrosive supply chains grows with every line we dismantle and every arrest we make. Our officers have extensive knowledge of known users and also the criminals who attempt to operate within our towns."
