Four men from Maidstone, Ashford and Chatham sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court for drug offences
20:12, 05 October 2023
Four people have been sentenced after multiple wraps of cocaine and drug paraphernalia were discovered by police.
An investigation, by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, also saw officers seize more than £30,000 in cash and 2,400 canisters of nitrous oxide.
Moses Aiyelabola, Luis Guerra and Bruno Rodrigues were all sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday, September 28.
A fourth man, Muhammad Bashir, had also been sentenced previously.
The men were charged after police suspected they were involved in dealing drugs across Medway.
Aiyelabola, first arrested on January 31, 2020 on suspicion of drug offences, was initially released under investigation after a warrant was carried out at his address in Rochester Street, Chatham.
Along with cash, police also found designer clothes, watches and two mobile phones, one of which was linked to drug dealing, at the property.
Following inquiries, a second warrant was carried out at Guerra’s address on March 12, 2020 where police seized a mobile phone linked to drug dealing.
The phones were analysed, and officers were able to link Aiyelabola, Guerra and Rodrigues to drug dealing across Medway when they were arrested again in November 2020.
Officers also recovered another mobile phone when arresting Rodrigues - something which implicated Bashir who himself was then arrested and later charged.
Aiyelabola later admitted the charges of being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possession with intent to supply nitrous oxide and possession of a bladed article.
He was also charged with affray in relation to a separate incident.
The 27-year-old was sentenced to just over four years and six months in jail.
Meanwhile Guerra, 27, of Oak Barn Lane, Ashford, and Rodrigues, 22, of Broadway, Gillingham, were both sentenced after admitting charges of being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
Rodrigues was sentenced to two years and two months, while Guerra, who was also sentenced for the unconnected affray, was handed two years and seven months.
However, both Rodrigues and Guerra were released upon sentencing due to time already served in custody.
Bashir, 30, also of Rochester Street, Chatham, was previously sentenced to three and a half years for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, but has now been released on licence.
Detective constable Peter Emanuel, of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, said: "These dealers thought nothing of supplying cocaine and other drugs across Medway.
"They had no care of the affect that drug dealing has on communities, or the affect drug use has on users and their families.
"Officers will continue to work hard to ensure those carrying out such criminality are held to account."
Latest news
Features
Most popular
- 1
The abandoned ‘ghost road’ that once took holidaymakers to the Kent coast
23 - 2
Air ambulance lands after head-on smash between bus and car
- 3
Everything you need to know about Kent’s biggest Christmas market
3 - 4
'Our son didn't attend lectures for five months - why didn't uni check on him?'
- 5
Hundreds in the dark after power cuts