Bloodstain Bungle Helps Nab Cannabis Kingpin
Officers cracked open a massive cannabis haul after spotting a bloodstain on a shipment worth up to £2.5 million. The gory clue led straight to one criminal’s door.
Half a Tonne of Weed Found in Storage Container
On Thursday 16 May 2024, Kent Police were tipped off about suspicious packages inside a storage container on Formby Road, Halling. Inside, they uncovered 427 kilogrammes of vacuum-sealed cannabis bags worth between £1.5 million and £2.5 million.
Blood Clue Leads to 61-Year-Old Dealer
Forensics found blood on a cardboard box in the container. DNA linked the blood to John Small, 61, from Brunswick Street, Maidstone. The evidence was irrefutable.
Small Caught Red-Handed and Sentenced
On 21 May, cops spotted Small filling up his Chrysler 300 at a Chatham petrol station. After arresting him, they found an extra 1kg of cannabis and £3,200 in his car. Small pleaded guilty to charges of cannabis supply and was slapped with a four-year prison sentence at Maidstone Crown Court on 17 July.
Detective Constable Aaron Chapman said: “John Small was clearly part of an organised criminal network involved in the supply of cannabis on an industrial scale. The blood stain he left at the storage container, coupled with the drugs and cash found in his car, were such compelling evidence that he was left with little choice but to admit the offences he had committed.”
