County Line drug dealer jailed for more than 12 years

Pictured: Abdiraheem Elmi

A drug dealer who ran a County Line between London and Hastings has been jailed for more than 12 years.

Abdiraheem Elmi, 27, of Willesden Lane, Kilburn, London, appeared before Lewes Crown Court on Monday, December 5, and pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cocaine.

He also pleaded guilty to grievous bodily harm (GBH) without intent and criminal damage.

He was jailed for a total of 12 years and four months following a joint investigation by Sussex Police and the Metropolitan Police.

Drugs seized from a property in Hastings

The court heard that at around 12.45pm on Wednesday, January 19, police were called following a report that a woman had been assaulted and threatened with a knife by Elmi at an address in Church Road, St Leonards.

Officers attended and found the victim had suffered significant facial injuries with multiple facial fractures.

Elmi was arrested and later charged with GBH without intent.

Further investigation by Sussex Police’s Project ADDER team based in Hastings and the Metropolitan Police's Op Orochi team identified that Elmi was involved in a large-scale drug operation supplying multiple kilos of cocaine and heroin.

A large quantity of drugs were recovered from a property in Hastings

This was connected to the closure of a county drugs line in the Eastbourne area called CJ, and a Hastings drugs line called OSCAR, whereby wholesale amounts of drugs were being supplied across Sussex.

Officers also carried out a search of a property in Hastings and recovered a large quantity of drugs, cash and scales.

Mobile phones were additionally found which clearly showed Elmi was in control of these drug lines.

A mobile phone recovered by police

County lines dealing is the sale of drugs from large urban areas, such as London, into smaller towns such as Eastbourne and Hastings. Dealers and customers are linked by mobile phone numbers, through which deals are conducted.

Detective Sergeant Gregory Montier said: “This is a fantastic result against a violent drug dealer, reflecting the harm that drugs do the community.

“This case is a good example of the results that joint working between Project ADDER, Op Orochi and Centurion can produce, and how they lead to further successful prosecutions and imprisonment of others involved in organised drugs supply.

“County Lines are responsible for bringing harmful and dangerous drugs into our community, and we do a huge amount of work to catch those responsible.

"To do this effectively, we work incredibly closely with other agencies and police forces, including the Metropolitan Police's Op Orochi team.

"This partnership working means we can tackle County Drugs Lines from both ends - the origin, which is often in London, and the end destination, which is usually smaller coastal or rural towns such as Eastbourne and Hastings.

"We're grateful to the Met for working so closely with us so we can dismantle these County Lines and help protect our communities from drug-related harm."

Project ADDER (Addiction, Diversion, Disruption, Enforcement and Recovery) was launched by the Home Office at the start of 2021 with the aim of reducing drug-related crime and protecting people from harm.

In the year since its launch, more than 600 Organised Crime Groups have been disrupted nationally, with almost 10,500 arrests and £3.5m in cash seized across England and Wales. More than 13,000 people have also been supported in drug treatment interventions delivered by outreach workers.