County Line Dealers Jailed for Flooding Tunbridge Wells with Class A Drugs
Two county line dealers have been locked up after bombarding Tunbridge Wells drug users with bulk text messages offering class A drugs. Kent Police’s County Lines and Gangs Team uncovered a campaign of criminal marketing sent from a single phone between March 2020 and January 2021.
From London to Tunbridge Wells: The Drug Operation Uncovered
Officers traced the phone to Connor Martin, who shuttled between Greater London and Tunbridge Wells to sell drugs. He was aided by local man Henry Muggridge.
- February 16, 2021: Police raided Martin’s Carshalton address.
- Seized evidence included the phone used for messages, two wraps of cocaine, cutting agents, two machetes, and £500 cash.
- Simultaneous search at Muggridge’s Tunbridge Wells flat uncovered three digital scales, two knives hidden under a pillow, and a sword beside his bed.
Scales tested positive for cocaine and heroin residue, confirming their role in drug distribution.
Sentenced: Jail Time for Drug Dealers
Both men were arrested during the raids. They were charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin spanning nearly a year.
At Maidstone Crown Court, 19-year-old Martin received four years and six months behind bars. Muggridge, 32, was handed three years and four months.
PC Samantha Smith said: “These dealers used a phone known as the ‘Dan line’ to supply class A drugs over an extended period. Our enquiries tracked down the two criminals who thought they could remain anonymous while making a profit living off some of the most vulnerable in our community. They are now in prison and anyone else seeking to supply cocaine and heroin in Kent should be left in no doubt that they too will be brought to justice.”
