County Lines Kingpin Ajay Stephens Jailed for Over Eight Years
Ajay Stephens, 21, from Croydon, has been slammed with eight years and seven months behind bars at Inner London Crown Court. The young drug lord was caught red-handed running the notorious ‘P’ county line drug operation from London to Hastings.
Exploiting Kids to Push Class A Crack and Heroin
The court heard how Stephens used unsuspecting women to book accommodation in Hastings, where he forced two vulnerable teen boys, aged 15 and 17, to travel from their care home in Manchester to deal his crack cocaine and heroin.
County lines gangs exploit children and vulnerable people to spread Class A drugs across smaller towns and rural areas. Stephens’ operation moved approximately 1.45kg of illegal substances between November 2019 and March 2020, raking in a fortune.
Family Ties in Crime: Brothers Helped Run the Line
- Stephens’ step-brother, Amun’Ra Teko, 19, and half-brother, Shaquille Boreland, 26, took over the line when he was abroad.
- All three pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, with Teko and Boreland awaiting sentencing.
While this was unfolding, another county line dubbed the ‘JB’ operated between London and Kent. Tai Diedrick, 23, another half-brother, was caught with MDMA, cocaine, and a burner phone linked to this line. Diedrick and four others have pleaded guilty to related drug charges.
Police Praise Crackdown That Freed Exploited Kids
“Our investigation started with Stephens but unlocked seven convictions and shut down two county lines,” said Detective Sergeant Ray Sekalongo.
“Most importantly, two vulnerable boys were rescued from exploitation. Stephens and his crew simply don’t care about the children they use as pawns for profit.”
The detective added a warning: “Look out for signs a child might be involved in county lines—going missing, sudden wealth, multiple phones, secrecy.”
Drugs destroy communities, and police vow to keep hunting county line criminals relentlessly. But they also urged the public to report any drug dealing or exploitation in their areas.
