A teenage drug dealer was sentenced to four years in prison this week, after a brazen attempt to avoid capture. The dealer, who was part of a county lines operation, warned an undercover police officer that law enforcement was in the area—mistaking the officer for a customer.
Kelly Aghedo, 19, from Bexleyheath, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs at Maidstone Crown Court on Monday, August 18. The court heard that on February 26, plain-clothed officers from the British Transport Police (BTP) County Lines Taskforce were patrolling Gillingham Station when they spotted two drug users preparing to make a purchase. The officers followed the pair to a nearby alleyway, where they encountered Aghedo.
Believing one of the officers was a user, Aghedo reportedly warned him of police in the area before walking past the alleyway and discreetly discarding an item from his pocket. Officers quickly stopped and detained Aghedo, recovering two mobile phones, one of which was receiving multiple calls linked to drug supply. He was arrested on the spot.
A subsequent search of Aghedo’s home uncovered a machete, a burner phone, SIM cards, and various drug-related paraphernalia.
Investigating officer DS Karen Grave said:
“Our Taskforce officers are highly skilled and familiar with the behaviour of both drug users and dealers which alerted them to Aghedo. So convincing are our plain clothes officers that even a seasoned dealer like Aghedo believed one of them to be a user attempting to buy drugs from him. Aghedo’s age is a sad reminder that County Lines gangs entrap and entice young people into the drugs trade so that before they are even out of their teens they are established dealers. This should serve as a warning to anyone using the railway for criminality that they can’t hide from us – we have multiple resources at our disposal and our specialist officers patrol the network every day. We encourage anyone to report any signs of child exploitation or drug dealing to us by discreetly texting 61016. Reports can also be made by calling BTP on 0800 40 50 40. Always call 999 in an emergency.”