Kent Police report a county line dealer has been jailed for four and a half years for supplying class A drugs in Canterbury.
An investigation by Kent Police’s County Lines and Gangs Team identified Ta-Shan Thompson-Campbell as the holder of the ‘A1’ County Line which was operating in Canterbury.
On Friday 12 February 2021, officers in the city stopped a car he was a passenger in and recovered the mobile phone used to run the drugs line, as well as over £2,000 in cash.
County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
During a search of the car stopped on the A2050, officers had found the ‘A1’ county line handset, which had been discarded under the driver’s seat and the battery had been removed.
Officers recovered more than £1,400 cash from searching Thompson-Campbell and a further £900 from a white box in the driver’s door.
Reviewing the data on the county line handset and Thompson-Campbell’s own phone confirmed that he had made 11 trips to Canterbury in a three-month period as part of his role within the criminal gang. It also confirmed that bulk ‘marketing’ text messages sent from the county line handset had been done when the phone was in the 24-year-old’s possession.
Charged
Thompson-Campbell from south-east London, was charged with being concerned in dealing heroin and cocaine and possession of criminal property.
He appeared at court and pleaded guilty to all three charges and was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Tuesday 27 July.
Investigating officer Detective Constable Jake Griffiths said: ‘The investigation into the A1 organised group resulted in Thompson-Campbell being identified as playing a prominent role in supplying drugs around Canterbury.
‘Networks like this ruin lives up and down the country, preying on those who are vulnerable, bringing other issues to a community such as anti-social behaviour. We will continue to disrupt and bring down those responsible for the groups and their criminal actions will never be tolerated.’
Detective Constable Jake Griffiths