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Cocaine dealer found hiding in Leysdown caravan

10:00, 11 December 2015

updated: 10:27, 11 December 2015

A drug dealer who was part of £6 million cocaine racket was traced to a Leysdown caravan park where he was staying using a false name.

Darren Osborne has been jailed alongside two other men to a total of 39 years after admitting conspiring to supply the drug.

The 36-year-old Chislehurst resident was joined in the dock at London’s Old Bailey by Geoff Donovan, 76, from Coulsdon, Croydon, and Ashley Devaney, 58, also from Chislehurst.

Darren Osborne
Darren Osborne
The packages of cocaine
The packages of cocaine

The trio were arrested in June following an investigation by the Organised Crime Partnership.

Officers initially observed the transfer of a package from Devaney to Donovan after watching it being retrieved from a house in Imperial Way, Chislehurst.

As Donovan drove off, he was stopped and was then seen attempting to stash the parcel under the driver footwell.

Geoff Donovan
Geoff Donovan

It was later confirmed to contain a kilo of cocaine.

Following a raid on the unoccupied property in Imperial Way, officers found a further 28 kilos of the drug, which had an estimated street value of £6.3 million.

Devaney and Donovan were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, and Devaney was additionally charged with possession of a firearm and three CS gas canisters.

Ashley Devaney
Ashley Devaney
The cocaine was found in a unused property
The cocaine was found in a unused property

A tenancy agreement was also discovered in Devaney’s home, which named his son-in-law as Darren Osborne.

Osborne was tracked-down to Central Beach caravan park in Grove Avenue, Leysdown, where he had been staying with his family under an alias.

He was charged with possession with intent to supply Class A and B drugs and possession of a firearm.

Devaney, Osborne and Donovan pleaded guilty in October and were yesterday sentenced to 18, 12 and nine years respectively.

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