Three men were jailed after a ten week trial at Kingston Crown Court
A drugs gang who imported cocaine and heroin into the UK have been jailed for a total of 34 years following a ten week trial at Kingston Crown Court.
Thomas Ramdas, Daniel Kennedy and Keith Prempeh were convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on December 17 2013.
Ramdas, 34, of Norwood Road, was identified as head of the organisation involved in importing drugs into the UK from Jamaica.
He was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment for each of four separate counts, to run concurrently: conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, conspiracy to supply three kilograms of heroin, conspiracy to import three kilograms of cocaine via Gatwick Airport and conspiracy to import cocaine via Gatwick Airport.
Kennedy, 33, of Croydon was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for conspiracy to import three kilograms of cocaine via Gatwick Airport.
Prempeh, 45, of Spring Grove Road, was sentenced to four years imprisonment for conspiracy to import three kilograms of cocaine via Gatwick Airport.
Officers from the MPS Serious and Organised Crime Group found that Ramdas used his commercial property of Bubbas Restaurant in Tulse Hill to distribute a large amount of drugs to other South London gang members.
In February 2013 a vehicle travelling South on the M1 towards London was stopped on the Edgware Road where it was searched. In the boot were three dog biscuit boxes, each containing one kilogram of heroin and in the front passenger seat was a salt box containing 0.5 kilograms of crack cocaine. The drugs were being delivered to Ramdas.
Further investigation revealed that Ramdas and Kennedy had recruited Kwasi Prempeh as a courier to import a large quantity of Class A drugs, namely high purity cocaine (82%), into the UK from Jamaica.
Prempeh was later stopped at London Gatwick Airport, where he was found to be wearing a tailor-made body suit containing three kilograms of cocaine strapped to his body. Ramdas and Kennedy were arrested in simultaneous operations.
Detective Inspector Troon from the MPS Central Task Force of the Specialist Economic and Organised Crime Command said the sentences showed that anyone dealing in drugs would be made to face the consequences of their actions.
“These sentences are a satisfying culmination of months of painstaking police work from specialist officers and Borough partners. Those involved have had a direct link with the supply to mid-level dealers within Croydon and Lambeth Boroughs,” he said.
“It has been a complicated investigation and the sentences are a testament to the expertise of my officers and our partners.This investigation shows that we will seek anyone actively involved in the drugs trade and use all the powers available to us to combat it.”
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