A drug dealer who took extensive measures to hide his location was caught after connecting to public Wi-Fi, allowing Metropolitan Police officers to track him down.
Joel Louis, 34, of Ealing Road, Wembley, has been sentenced to 12 years and nine months in prison for offences linked to the supply of cocaine and heroin in north Kilburn.
Police had been investigating the ‘Bobby’ drugs line after examining phones seized from children suspected of being involved in drug supply.
Investigators said the person controlling the line had attempted to conceal his location by routing devices through a virtual private network (VPN).
Public Wi-Fi connection exposed location
Detectives identified Louis as the person running the line after he inadvertently connected to a public Wi-Fi network at an address where he was hiding.
Officers raided the Wembley property on 7 July, finding Louis attempting to hide inside a wardrobe.
During his arrest, he asked officers: “How did you find me?”
Analysis of his phone later showed he was receiving more than 100 calls a day from a contact list containing almost 250 drug users.
Police also found messages in which Louis had bragged about owning a firearm.
A search of the property uncovered cocaine and heroin with an estimated street value of £8,800, around £8,000 cash and six mobile phones, including the device used to operate the Bobby line.
Officers also recovered a loaded firearm, 13 rounds of 9mm ammunition — three of which were loaded into its magazine — a machete and a flip knife.
Young people recruited to move drugs
Detective Constable Lauren Gresty, who led the investigation, said Louis had recruited numerous young people to transport drugs around north Kilburn, exposing them to violence, intimidation and criminality for his own financial gain.
She added: “Louis believed he could hide from police to further his offending, but this result shows our tenacity in going after those who cause the most harm in London.”
Louis was sentenced at Harrow Crown Court to 12 years and nine months’ imprisonment.
