Men jailed for county line drug dealing in Eastbourne

Ahmet Arslan

Two drug dealers have been sentenced following an investigation into an Eastbourne drug line.

Seven drug lines were identified by officers which ran between North West London and Eastbourne.

Working with Metropolitan Police’s Op Orochi team, it was discovered that these drug lines were linked to Ahmet Arslan, 30, of Clandon Gardens, London.

Arslan would operate a drug line from London, and would receive and send messages to multiple drug runners and collect the proceeds.

After a drug line would become inactive, it was heard he would set up a new one almost straight away.

Radovan Vukmir, 42, of Seaside Road, Eastbourne would carry out the exchanges in Eastbourne, on behalf of Arslan.

In July 2023, officers from Sussex Police’s Project ADDER team and from the Met Police’s Op Orochi team conducted warrants in Eastbourne and London.

Officers carried out a Section 8 PACE warrant at an address in Clandon Gardens, London, where Arslan was arrested, and his phones were seized.

Later that day, Vukmir was seen at an alleyway near his home address on Seaside Road, Eastbourne and was arrested. Phones were seized from his address after police conducted a Section 18 warrant.

Arslan and Vukmir were charged in July 2023 with being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin and remanded in custody. They both pleaded guilty in January.

The pair appeared before Lewes Crown Court on Friday, 15 March for sentencing.

Arslan was sentenced to 173 weeks’ imprisonment and Vukmir was sentenced to 101 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months.

The judge categorised Vukmir in playing the lesser role of the two and had no influence of the drug line nor had any awareness of the scale of the operation.