Drug dealers involved in county lines operation in Brighton jailed
The pair were found to be dealing substances such as crack cocaine and heroin
Last updated 30th Jan 2023
Two men who ran an operation dealing drugs from a home in Brighton have been jailed for more than 17 years between.
Ivan Bokolo and Ebrima Macauley used the address in Cannon Place to sell substances such as crack cocaine and heroin.
Police found more than 200 wraps with a street value of more than £2,000 during raids at the address in August 2020.
During raids, Bokolo attempted to dismantle his mobile phone in front of officers, and swallowed a SIM card from a mobile phone during the course of his arrest.
The 29-year-old of Pultney Street was also observed in November 2021 operating from a rented accommodation property in Richmond Place.
A phone linked to a drug dealing telephone line dubbed “Rico” was found on him, which had been used to send bulk advertising messages for drug deals.
Inside the address, police found a Louis Vuitton draw string bag containing 100 wraps of class A drugs and £5,000 in cash secreted into the cooker extractor fan.
Expensive designer clothing was also found inside the property, which was at odds with Bokolo’s unemployed status.
Bokolo was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison after admitting two counts of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply, and one count of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
Macauley, who is 28 and formerly of Coltsfoot Path in Romford, was identified as being responsible for the running of a county line supplying Class A drugs for a period between February 2022 and July 2022. It is estimated he was involved in the supply of over 1kg of both heroin and crack cocaine in the Ipswich area.
His arrest and charge came about following a joint investigation between Suffolk Police’s Serious Crime Disruption Team and the Metropolitan Police, as part of Operation Orochi.
Macauley was sentenced to a total of eight years in prison for two counts of possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.
Detective Sergeant Mark Pinder from Brighton CID said:
“Bokolo and Macauley were both distributing drugs which cause so much harm in our communities.
“They were acting as part of a “county lines” group operating from London in the Sussex and Suffolk areas.
“This case demonstrates our determination to disrupt the supply of drugs to help protect our communities from drug-related harm.
“There is a huge amount of work done to catch offenders. To do this effectively, we work closely with other agencies and police forces, including with the Metropolitan Police and the Op Orochi team.
“Offenders bringing class A drugs to Brighton and Hove will not be tolerated, so we are pleased with the outcome and with the significant prison sentences imposed by the courts.”