Three men from Bexley and Greenwich have been sentenced for their roles in a drug trafficking network, totaling 34 years in prison.
Stratford: So, here’s the scoop. For months, the police were on the trail of a drug ring pushing crack cocaine and heroin into West Surrey and Hampshire. They traced it all back to Stratford.
In March 2023, they swooped in with raids across London, Surrey, and Hampshire, leading to nine arrests. It was a big operation involving teams from Surrey, Sussex, and the Met Police.
Now, the results are in: the sentences add up to a whopping 34 years. Ross Bannister, 30, from Greenwich, got nine years and four months for his part in the drug supply. Not too far behind, Abraham Musoke, 29, from Bexley, was sentenced to six years and nine months for being a courier.
Then there’s Jamie Smith, 31, also from Greenwich, who was a local controller and received three years and one month. The police are now looking to seize any assets these guys might have gained from their illegal activities.
PC Ed Bush made it clear that these individuals are part of a system that takes advantage of vulnerable people and brings chaos to communities. He emphasized that they’re committed to disrupting these networks, no matter how long it takes.
He urged anyone with info about drug supply or concerns about vulnerable individuals to reach out. Other sentences included Billy Cross, 25, from Basildon, who got nine years and four months, and two more local controllers, Paul Skabarntsky and Liam Neylon, who received three years and one month and three years and nine months, respectively.
Lastly, some runners, including Noella Facer, 50, from Farnborough, and others, got two-year suspended sentences. It’s a serious issue, and the police are on it!
