Kingpins Jailed After Massive Crack and Heroin Ring Busted
A huge drug gang has been smashed following a long investigation by the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. Nine men and one woman from Kent, Essex, and Lincolnshire were charged and sentenced for running a sprawling crack cocaine and heroin empire.
Headliners Locked Up for Nearly a Decade
The ringleaders, Kazeem Akinfolarin and Michael Odedina, each got nearly 10 years behind bars at Maidstone Crown Court on 18 August 2021. On the same day, five others – Andrew Huntley, Mark Downes, Peter Symonds, Romel Fregis, and Francis Sunney-Ackon – were also jailed. Batare Evwierhoma dodged prison with a suspended sentence, while Amy Newport awaits her fate in September.
‘TJ’ and ‘Alpo’ Drug Lines Smoked Out
- Akinfolarin and Odedina ran the ‘TJ’ and ‘Alpo’ lines from July to December 2017, flooding the streets with crack cocaine and heroin.
- They employed runners Evwierhoma, Huntley, Fregis, and Sunney-Ackon to push drugs in Kent and Essex under the ‘TJ’ brand.
- Downes, Symonds, and Newport sold narcotics in Grimsby through the ‘Alpo’ line.
Jack Smith, 26, already hit with a community sentence for money laundering, let his bank account funnel drug cash between the counties. Huntley used the funds to hire cars for dring runs.
Strood Safe Crammed with Drugs Worth Thousands
Police found a safe in an Albatross Road, Strood, property stuffed with 299 wraps of crack and 302 wraps of heroin during a 2017 search. The TJ line’s reach soon proved national as detectives uncovered a web stretching across Medway and beyond.
On 10 October 2018, all suspects were arrested after a series of raids that smashed the entire network.
Sentences Served Cold
- Kazeem Akinfolarin, 31: 9 years 8 months
- Michael Odedina, 31: 9 years 8 months
- Romel Fregis, 28: 3 years 7 months
- Andrew Huntley, 30: 8 years 1 month
- Francis Sunney-Ackon, 28: 2 years 3 months
- Mark Downes, 47: 3 years 1 month
- Peter Symonds, 48: 2 years 9 months
- Batare Evwierhoma, 27: 18 months suspended sentence + 200 hours unpaid work
- Amy Newport, 32: sentencing pending
“This was an organised criminal network which distributed crack cocaine and heroin across England, targeting vulnerable users to make big money,” said Detective Constable Dean Sycamore.
“We estimate hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of drugs were sold by this gang. Drugs destroy lives, families and communities. We will keep fighting to stamp out supply across Kent, Medway and beyond.”
