Herne Bay and Whitstable ‘Bugsy’ line drug dealer jailed

A drug dealer who coordinated the supply of heroin and crack cocaine in Whitstable and Herne Bay, from a base in London, has been jailed.

Aubrey Goodison-McIntosh was never observed dealing drugs in the street, but painstaking enquiries completed by Kent Police’s County Lines and Gangs Team showed he was the orchestrator of a county line which called itself ‘Bugsy.’

The 24-year-old, from Paddington, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine and additional counts of possessing both substances with intent to supply.

He was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Friday 4 February 2022 to four years’ imprisonment.

Investigation

The Bugsy county line first came to Kent Police’s attention in August 2020. During that period it used at least three different phone numbers to interact with drug users and individuals acting as runners on Goodison-McIntosh’s behalf.

Goodison-McIntosh was identified as a culprit on 21 January 2021, when he was observed on CCTV at an Erith shop purchasing a top up voucher for the main number linked to the drug dealing.

As he had not been observed supplying any drugs, it was necessary to continue building a picture on his movements and the use of the phone.

By August 2021, officers were confident they had secured enough information to pursue a prosecution and successfully applied for a warrant to target the offender at an associate’s address in Bromley.

Arrest

The warrant, which was carried out on Thursday 5 August 2021, brought an abrupt end to Goodison-McIntosh’s offending.

Upon hearing officers forcing their way through the front door, he initially attempted to escape through a back door but was quickly apprehended by an officer and has remained in custody since.

With him safely detained, a search of the address then led to a large quantity of heroin and crack cocaine being found inside a room where he was residing.

A mobile phone and sim card, which was used to interact with people running drugs on his behalf, was also located.

Good result

Detective Constable Karl Shonhard, Kent Police’s investigating officer for the case, said: ‘Goodison-McIntosh played an important role in the supply of heroin and crack cocaine across Herne Bay and Whitstable.

‘Our investigation brought his offending to an abrupt end and I am of no doubt that he would still be offending now if we did not catch him when we did.

‘There will never be any tolerance for drug dealing in our county and we’re going to continue to target other offenders who, like Goodison-McIntosh, care little for the widespread misery which is caused by the sale of drugs.’