Tuesday 31 May 2022

County Lines Drug Dealer Derailed

A crack cocaine and heroin dealer, who utilised the train network during his County Lines illegal drugs trade, has been locked up.

Charles Oluwaseyi Ogunnowo, 26, of Crest Road, Croydon is starting a sentence of five years and eight months after a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

He pleaded guilty to being concerned in supplying crack cocaine and heroin, possession of cannabis and possessing criminal property and was sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court.

Ogunnowo was stopped by officers from BTP’s County Lines Taskforce at Three Bridges railway station, near Crawly, West Sussex on February 24.

Just after midday Ogunnowo was spotted by plain clothed officers alighting a rail replacement bus service at the station, having travelled from Brighton.

His behaviour aroused the attention of the officers who then engaged with him as he walked towards a London-bound train.

Ogunnowo told the officers he was in possession of £850 as well as a burner-style phone, that he claimed belonged to his cousin.

He was subsequently searched and in addition to the money and phone, he was found to be in possession of cannabis.

The officers then arrested him on suspicion of being concerned in Class A drug supply, money laundering and possession of cannabis.

An investigation into Ogunnowo’s activity was launched and text message data on the burner-style phone he was carrying on the day was analysed.

Detectives discovered more than 500 broadcast messages in the phone’s outbox offering the sale of heroin and crack cocaine to a mass recipient list.

Detective Inspector Graham Moss said: “It’s evident from the data found on Ogunnowo’s phone that he was operating a lucrative business peddling harmful drugs between London and Sussex using the railway.

As a result of our intelligence-led operations and the quick investigative work in this case, he’ll now have plenty of time on his hands in jail to reconsider his criminal activity.”

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