Michael Olarabiro and Tia Henry were part of the G-line, a crack cocaine and heroin distribution network. Their supply chain included at least two other dealers, and all four have now received sentences totaling nearly 12 years in prison.
The line was operational from June to September 2022, but it was quickly brought to the attention of police, who became aware of bulk messages from a mobile phone advertising drugs for sale.
On the 3rd of August, constables on patrol in Gravesend approached Olarabiro, who was attempting to flee and throw away a phone. He was apprehended, and the device was recovered. Checks revealed that the phone was used to deliver the marketing messages. A second phone seized also contained evidence that Olarabiro was coordinating drug supply with Tia Henry, who was arrested a few days later.
Although both were charged and remanded in custody, the G-line continued to operate under new phone numbers. The investigation was continued, and the involvement of James Adodo and Sharif Flanders was established. They were both arrested in September and had phones that connected them to the line. Officers also seized 124 wraps of Class A drugs from a Gravesend address linked to Flanders.
All four admitted to playing a role in drug-related offences. Olarabiro, 21, of Berkley Road, Gravesend, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, after admitting to two counts of being involved in the supply of drugs. Henry, 40, of Lewisham Way, Brockley, London, was also convicted of these charges and sentenced to 18 months in prison on the same day.
The other two were already imprisoned last year. Adodo, 22, of St Martin’s Road, Dartford, was found guilty on two counts of drug dealing. On October 25, 2022, he was sentenced to three years in prison at Woolwich Crown Court.
Flanders, 26, of no fixed address, appeared at Maidstone Crown Court and pleaded guilty to two counts of being involved in the supply of drugs, as well as two additional counts of possessing drugs with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. On November 10, he was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison.
DC ‘Olarabiro played a pivotal role within this county line network, using his influence to instruct others in the supply of drugs and working alongside his co-defendants to supply significant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine throughout Gravesend,’ said Scott Spedding of the County Lines and Gangs Team.
‘Criminal operations like these frequently result in violence and weapons involving rival gangs who are unconcerned about the despair and misery they bring to our communities. However, as this case demonstrates, we are continuing to relentlessly target and disrupt their activities, and we know that the work we’re doing, in collaboration with our partners and with the assistance of local communities, is making it much more difficult for dealers to establish a foothold.
