Maidstone Crown Court Sentencing Results

Bradley O’Neill, 29, from Sheerness, known on Encrochat as ‘Call Me Curly’, arranged for the delivery of a total of 25 kilogrammes of cocaine to other drug suppliers between March and June 2020 as part of an organised crime group supplying around £2.5 million worth of cocaine across Kent. He unwittingly helped officers establish his identity by referring to a police stop and search by Metropolitan Police on the A2 near Bexleyheath in April 2020, mentioning being ‘getting nicked’, the A2, and a helicopter, and by sharing names and birthdays of family members.

Kastriot Dani, 43, of Rushden, was involved in an organised crime group supplying cocaine. Police stopped his Jaguar on January 16, 2024, and found a kilogram of cocaine in a hidden compartment, along with £10,000 in cash.

Malcom Glancey, 66, of Maidstone, was involved in an organised crime group supplying cocaine across Kent. Operations on January 16, 2024, led to the seizure of three kilograms of cocaine and a handgun.

Ryan Gooderson, 23, of Ditton, was part of an organised crime group that supplied cocaine and cannabis. Police seizures on January 16, 2024, included three kilograms of cocaine and a handgun during vehicle stops.

Robert Deards, 28, of no fixed address, was part of an organised crime group that supplied cocaine across Kent. On January 16, 2024, police seized three kilograms of cocaine and a handgun during operations, including stops of vehicles in Burham.

Stephen Palmer, from Kings Hill, used the EncroChat handle ‘Palmbeach’ to communicate with criminals and arrange cocaine deals at almost £40,000 a kilogram, with hundreds of messages attributed to him also demonstrating involvement in ketamine supply. He was identified by images of him holding a fish and selling a vehicle, plus paperwork relating to a property in France with a UK address in Hythe. Arrested on 31 March 2023, with searches yielding a phone, £6,000 cash, two designer watches, and a cutting agent.

Gareth Glynn Davies, 44, of Ashford, a Border Force field intelligence officer at Folkestone, was arrested in January 2020 following a National Crime Agency surveillance operation triggered by a tip-off. On 21 January 2020, he supplied four ecstasy (MDMA) pills to a contact as a taster, promising 5,000 more. He was arrested after handing over the pills in a joint operation with Border Force.

Brandon Chalcroft co-ordinated a county lines drug network supplying heroin and cocaine (including crack cocaine) throughout Medway using the ‘Ice line’ phone number, with bulk messages sent to local users identified in September 2023. Four separate numbers were deployed by the gang. Arrested on 6 December 2023 with a mobile phone and £1,475 cash seized.

Daniel Cook played a key role in a county lines drug network supplying heroin and cocaine (including crack cocaine) throughout Medway using the ‘Ice line’ phone number, with bulk messages sent to local users identified in September 2023. Four separate numbers were deployed by the gang. Detained during search of his house where mobile phone, crack cocaine and heroin deals were seized.

In early January 2024, Kent Police’s County Lines and Gangs Team identified the ‘MB line’ phone supplying heroin and crack cocaine to users in Medway. Odyssius Ojo, of no fixed address, was arrested in Snodland on 23 January 2024 for a separate matter. A search revealed he possessed the ‘MB line’ phone and a knife disguised as a keyring fob. He initially denied knowledge of the phone but later admitted sending multiple texts offering drugs for sale between 12 December 2023 and 23 January 2024.

Alan Skinner, 57, of West Kingsdown, set up a sham investment opportunity through Tritex Global Limited, a company he directed. He conned four victims into paying £159,000 for binary option trading, which was never invested as promised. Victims were cold-called in 2017, received misleading brochures promising account managers and customer service, and were given access to fake webpages showing investment growth. When they tried to withdraw funds, excuses were made, revealing the company had no money. This led to reports to Action Fraud and a subsequent investigation by Kent Police.

Gezim Dollapaj was an associate in the 'Vito Line' cocaine drugs network. He was stopped on June 4 with £293 in cash, and phone data tied him to the cocaine deals. The network, run by the Hasanaj brothers, was linked to around 100 deals and brought misery to local families through drug abuse.

Kreshnik Hasanaj, 27, was involved in the 'Vito Line' cocaine drugs network with his brother Vitlum. He was arrested on June 30 at a fast food outlet, where £1,230 in cash was confiscated from his vehicle. Phone data from associates linked him to the cocaine deals. The operation involved bringing cocaine into Maidstone.

Vitlum Hasanaj, 36, was involved in the 'Vito Line' cocaine drugs network linked to around 100 deals. He was arrested on June 30 at Stansted Airport runway upon stepping off a plane. Detectives uncovered texts and photos on seized phones linking him directly to the operation. The network was toppled after undercover teams arrested suspects on May 2 and seized evidence.

Zak Burr was caught approaching a car on High Street in Tonbridge, suspected of exchanging cocaine for cash on June 27, 2023. His phone was examined and found to be part of a supply network active since April 2023, used to send bulk marketing text messages to more than 300 users. He was involved in dealing class A drugs, which fed violence and criminality in the community.

Sali Igalliu, 21, from Turner Road in Tonbridge, was stopped by police in Paddock Wood for driving without car insurance. A search of his Vauxhall Corsa revealed 11 wraps of cocaine hidden in an air vent, £360 in cash, and a phone with messages indicating drug supply. He was charged with intent to supply drugs and possessing criminal property. During interviews, he denied dealing and claimed the drugs were for personal use.

On July 27, 2023, police conducted a raid at an industrial estate near Bethersden, Kent, after identifying David Allen's involvement in drug dealing. They found him with over 60 kilograms of amphetamine, more than 1 kilogram of cocaine, approximately £70,000 in cash, two viable firearms (which he claimed were antiques), drug packaging, money counting machines, needles, syringes, and a cocaine purity test. At his nearby home, police seized 25 designer watches, ledgers recording deals, a CS spray, and a knuckleduster. The drugs were estimated to have a street value of around £500,000.

On July 30, 2023, Jason Brown was observed by Kent Police’s Proactive Targeting Team conducting a drug deal in Sheerness, where he passed something to a man from his Citroen van. Police stopped the van, seized cash, cocaine deals, and a mobile phone. Further class A drugs were recovered from his home address. He was arrested and later charged.

Kye Hughes, from Rochester, met a woman on a dating app and deceived her by claiming he invested in luxury watches for extra income. He convinced her to invest her savings, promising to double her money, but the scheme was fraudulent. She transferred thousands of pounds to him between an unspecified date before 2019 and his arrest in 2019, leaving her in financial strain and debt.

PC Amanda Aston, aged 44, falsely reported her ex-partner for controlling and coercive behaviour following the end of their eight-month relationship that began in February 2017. She made false allegations in a 57-page witness statement and video interview, leading to his arrest, two months in custody, and dismissal from the police. She also encouraged him to breach bail conditions and reported him, resulting in further imprisonment. Evidence later showed she withheld key information. Additionally, in June 2018, she fraudulently applied for a £5,000 grant from the Police Welfare Fund by falsely claiming financial hardship due to moving homes from alleged abuse.

Syrus Ramsey was stopped in his car on the A21 near Bromley on October 8, 2021, where police found 34 deals of crack cocaine, 26 deals of heroin, and a mobile phone. A search of his home in Bromley uncovered £850 in cash and evidence of 12 further deals of crack and heroin. He was a key figure in a south east London county lines gang that used dedicated phones, dubbed the ‘Aaron line’, to supply drugs in Kent.