A Tunbridge Wells dealer sent almost 10,000 drugs supply messages from his phone in the space of just three months.
Alex Underwood was distributing cocaine and cannabis across several areas of west Kent but has now been jailed.
Underwood’s network was dismantled by proactive patrols following intelligence which linked him to evidence of extensive criminal activity, between September 2023 and March 2024. On 5 March, an investigation led officers to an area in Leigh near Tonbridge, where Underwood was stopped as he was walking to his car.
He told constables they would find a ‘couple of bits and bobs’ inside the VW Passat but a search led to the seizure of a stab vest, set of scales and multiple deal bags. Two mobile handsets were also recovered which were matched to active supply lines. One of them had been used to send 9,296 messages to more than 150 different contacts, between the end of September and early January.
Underwood, 29, of no fixed address, was charged with two counts of being concerned in the supply of drugs, namely cocaine and cannabis. He pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court, where he also admitted a further offence of possessing cannabis. He was sentenced on Thursday 4 April.
PC Rob Harrison of the Tunbridge Wells Community Safety Unit said: ‘Underwood’s criminality was far-reaching and has impacted communities across several areas including Tunbridge Wells, Tonbridge, Paddock Wood and Hildenborough. The fact he chose to carry a stab vest in his car provided further evidence of his involvement in what was a significant supply chain and clearly illustrates the threat of violence associated with this type of offending.
‘This sentence demonstrates yet again, just how effective our officers are in identifying those who wrongly believe they can operate in our towns and villages without consequence. We are showing time and time again that the reality is that anyone involved in the supply of drugs can expect a robust response and ultimately a prison sentence.’
