The Pound Lane property also contained nine mobile phones, four of which were hidden inside a punchbag, as well as several weapons, including an extendable baton, a machete, three smaller knives, and a knuckleduster. On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, officers seized the items as part of a warrant executed under the Misuse of Drugs Act. Craig Wharton, 36, was not at home during the search and fled the county after learning what had occurred. A week later, he was arrested after being identified as a passenger in a car driving into Kent via the Dartford Crossing. Officers stopping the vehicle noticed cannabis being thrown from a window, as well as drugs inside. Wharton later pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply a class B drug and possession of criminal property. On Friday, January 6, 2023, he was sentenced to three and a half years in prison at Maidstone Crown Court, which included the activation of a suspended sentence for a previous unrelated offence. ‘Craig Wharton was involved in the commercial supply of cannabis and kept a wealth of incriminating evidence at his home address,’ said investigating officer Detective Sergeant Dean Sycamore of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. ‘He should have taken advantage of the opportunity to change his life after receiving a suspended prison sentence, but instead he continued to offend and will now serve time behind bars.’
