Four leading members of a major drug network responsible for flooding east Kent with heroin and crack cocaine have been jailed for a combined total of more than 16 years.
Perri Gulliford, Kieran Majmader, Craig Amer, and James Larkin all pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply Class A drugs prior to their sentencing at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday 23 July 2026. The illicit operation was estimated by investigators to be worth a minimum of £150,000.
The criminal network first came to light during a proactive investigation launched by Kent Police in February 2024. Through painstaking analysis of seized mobile phone data, detectives identified 38-year-old Majmader as playing a pivotal management role. He directed local street dealers, arranged the supply of drugs, and managed the collection of cash proceeds. Further investigative work highlighted 48-year-old Amer as another key figure in the conspiracy, while 51-year-old Larkin was identified as a local street dealer operating with direct access to Majmader.
Police officers moved in on the syndicate on 12 September 2024, arresting Majmader, Amer, and Larkin before charging them the following day. Deep digital forensic scrutiny of their seized devices revealed that a figure known only as “P” was orchestrating the entire network from the top. Investigators ultimately unmasked “P” as 35-year-old Gulliford, with both Majmader and Amer working directly beneath him.
Gulliford was arrested at his home address on 5 February 2025, where he made a frantic, ultimately unsuccessful attempt to destroy his mobile phone before officers breached the property. Following his charge and subsequent guilty plea alongside his co-conspirators, the court handed down significant custodial sentences to all four men.
Gulliford, formerly from Dover, received the longest sentence of seven and a half years in prison. Majmader, formerly of Canterbury, was jailed for five years and three months. Amer, formerly from Dover, was sentenced to three and a half years in custody, while Larkin, formerly of Deal, was imprisoned for two years and eight months.
Detective Constable Karl Shonhard, the investigating officer for Kent Police, praised the outcome of the complex operation. He noted that by piecing together digital evidence, officers were able to expose both the street-level dealers and the kingpins directing and profiting from the trade behind the scenes, delivering a firm warning that those orchestrating drug misuse in Kent communities will be brought to justice.