98 Years in Prison for Drug Gang
21 men have now been jailed for a total of 98 years and 3 months for dealing Class A drugs in the Medway area.
The drug investigation team are a group of officers who are dedicated to eradicating illegal substances from the streets of Medway and prosecuting anyone found to be involved in the drugs trade. The latest group of six men have been jailed for a total of 19 years and one month following an investigation into the distribution of Class A drugs (crack cocaine and heroin) across Medway.
Leon James, 33 of Hawthorn Avenue, Palmers Green, London; Risti Mbu, 20 of Poetry Close, Harringey, London; Michael Blackstock, 20 of Minster Walk, Hornsey, London, Djon Brown, 19 of Kingsway, Holborn, Carl Grant, 28, of no fixed address and a 17 year old man from London all pleaded to guilty to selling class A drugs in Medway between 18 September 2008 and 7 November 2009. The men were given the following sentences:
Leon James, 8 years
Risti Mbu, 3 years and 4 months
Michael Blackstock, 3 years and 9 months
Djon Brown, 2 years
Carl Grant, 2 years
17 year old man, 2 years supervision order
Kent Police in Medway arrested the men on 6 and 7 November 2009 following an investigation into illegal drug activity. They were part of a network known as ‘Face’ operating in the Pageant Street and Canterbury Street areas of Gillingham as well as the Dale Street and Wyndham Road areas of Chatham. They were sentenced at Maidstone Crown court on Friday 4 June.
Detective Inspector Kevin Downard said: ‘This latest conviction is another great result in our fight against organised groups selling drugs in Medway. We are more effective now than we have ever been in tackling drug crime in Medway and these sentences should send out a clear warning to others involved in this trade, that it will not be tolerated.
‘Local residents in Medway have raised concerns to Kent Police and partner agencies about drug related issues in parts of the community and we are intent on taking robust, positive action. We are listening to these concerns and would like to thank the public for their support of our on-going work. Without this support or the dedicated work of our team, results like this are not possible.’
‘Anyone who witnesses any form of illegal drug activity should contact Kent Police immediately. Together we can send the clear message that drug dealing will not be tolerated in Medway and those convicted can face long sentences in prison. By stopping illegal networks such as this we can have a huge impact on preventing other types of crime in Medway.’
The result follows the conviction of three other groups of drug dealers in 2009.