John Nwaogbo, 29, was nabbed in June 2023 at a Barnet safe house after a joint probe by the National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police’s Organised Crime Partnership (OCP).
Officers uncovered a massive stash of cocaine linked to multi-kilo supplies across London, all part of a bigger operation run by Joshua Bromwell, 34, from Harrietsham, Kent.
Encrypted Chats Expose Cocaine Network
Bromwell used the secretive EncroChat platform under the username ‘acecarlito’ to coordinate cocaine drops in South London hotspots like Stockwell and the Oval between March and June 2020.
He also supplied drugs to the notorious London Fields gang, well-known for violent crime involving guns and knives.
Luxury Lifestyle from Drug Dealing Revealed
Even after EncroChat was shut down, Bromwell kept going in 2023 using WhatsApp, claiming in court to be a music producer. But US border agents uncovered damning WhatsApp messages at Atlanta Airport in June 2023 showing he moved over 52 kilos of cocaine in just 15 days.
He even paid £3,500 for a secret car compartment to smuggle drugs.
Police raided his home in September 2023 and found expensive designer clothes, luxury watches, including two Rolexes and an Audemars Piguet, plus top-end tech—all way beyond his declared £18,000 annual income.
Two-Week Trial Ends with 20 Years Behind Bars
Bromwell was convicted of two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs at Croydon Crown Court on January 24 after a gruelling two-week trial. Today (November 21), he was sentenced to a 20-year prison sentence.
Andrew Tickner, NCA Operations Manager, said: “Joshua Bromwell was a typical street-level dealer in one sense, but this investigation revealed a life of luxury funded by high-level drug trafficking, all while pretending to be a music producer.
“The unique partnership between the NCA and Metropolitan Police continues to tackle the serious crime that fuels violence and exploitation in our communities. We won’t stop until more offenders like Bromwell face justice.”
