Man stopped on A1 at Wansford was carrying wraps of cocaine and heroin
A driver who was stopped by police and found with more than 300 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin in his vehicle has been jailed.
Tommy Mukendi, 30, was pulled over by officers on the A1 southbound near Wansford in January after officers suspected the vehicle of being involved in the supply of drugs.
Mukendi was arrested and taken to Thorpe Wood Police Station in Peterborough where he was searched and found to have cannabis in his sock.
A further search of his car revealed more than 300 wraps of what turned out to be crack cocaine and heroin with a street value of more than £4,000.
Mukendi, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to possession of class B cannabis, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and possession with intent to supply class A.
He was sentenced to three years in prison at Huntingdon Law Courts yesterday (Wednesday, June 14).
Detective Constable Suzanne Pickard, who investigated, said: “We have a vital role in preventing drugs from reaching our streets and ensuring those responsible are brought to justice and the public can play a vital part in this work too.
“Please continue to report your concerns and suspicions to us.”
Police have issued the following information to help people recognise what to look out for.
Drugs: spot the signs
Would you recognise if drug dealing was happening where you live or work? Would you know if someone was being used as a drugs mule by a drug gang?
County lines
Drug networking, also known as county lines, involves organised crime groups extending their drug dealing business from cities into new areas.
These groups often use a phone number, known as a 'drugs line', to contact their customers and sell class A drugs.
Transporting drugs
Drug dealing groups often use young people to deliver their drugs, by paying them or by forcing them through violence and grooming.
These young people, known as 'runners', are usually male and aged between 12 and 20. The young people travel between cities and other areas to deliver drugs and collect cash on behalf of the dealers.
Forced drug transporting
In most cases, those delivering drugs across the country are being forced to do so by the dealer. Members of organised crime groups target vulnerable people to handle drugs for them, to take away the risk of getting caught with drugs themselves. The targeted vulnerable drug transporters are often:
- children in care
- children absent from school
- children missing from home
- single parents on low incomes
The organised crime groups are known to use violence and manipulation against these vulnerable people. Human trafficking forms another part of this type of crime as dealers often force young and vulnerable people into storing and supplying drugs.
They are also usually forced to swallow drugs in order to avoid police finding them.
Suspected drug dealing from a house
Have you noticed more people living at an address of a vulnerable person? Drug dealers often take over the home, make them sell drugs and use the home as a place for others to take drugs. Unusual activity could include:
- lots of different people coming and going from an address
- people coming and going at odd times of the day and night
- strange smells coming from the property
- windows covered or curtains closed all the time
- cars pulling up to or near the house for a short period of time
Cuckooing
Another way professional criminals deal drugs in particular neighbourhoods, known as 'cuckooing'. Cuckooing involves offenders targeting the homes of vulnerable people and using it to deal drugs.
Those who usually become vulnerable to cuckooing are lonely, isolated and drug users themselves. In fact, dealers usually offer them free drugs as a way of getting into the victims home. The property is then used to deal and manufacture drugs for a short period of time before the dealer moves onto somewhere new.
Handling mobile phones or lots of cash
You may not see drug runners with any drugs but you may see the signs of drug dealing such as large amounts of cash or lots of mobile phones - usually cheap pay-as-you-go types.
The signs of a runner or drug dealer can include:
- someone having more cash, clothing or phones than normal
- talk of gang names in the area
- someone using nicknames when speaking about others.
These signs are often a good indicator that someone is involved in county lines drug crime.
Drug packing materials
Vaseline, cling film and baby wipes are regularly used when storing drugs in body cavities. There is a big health risk to anyone storing drugs in their body.
Anyone with information to report should call police on 101. In an emergency call 999.