SHAME SHAME...
BROMLEY TAXI DRIVER JAILED OVER HIS ROLE IN LONDON ‘DRUG EMPIRE’
A minicab driver from Bromley has been jailed along with two partners for his role in a “drug empire” supplying multiple kilos of cocaine across Lon- don, and the UK, on a weekly basis. The three men were sentenced at Kingston Crown Court on Thursday, November 12, for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely cocaine, deliv- ered by the taxi driver across London. News Shopper reports that the trio have been jailed for a combined total of over 25 years after an intelligence-led investigation by the Met Police led them to more than £1.1 million worth of Class A drugs. Cabbie Karl Balogun, 31, from Bromley, has been sentenced to six years and ten months’ imprisonment. Also sentenced: Antonio Chambers, 47, was given ten years and nine months’ imprisonment, and Darren Lamb, 45, was sentenced to seven years and seven months.
Chambers, the ring leader, was identi- fied by the Met Police’s Flying Squad as a person of interest in relation to an elaborate drugs conspiracy. Police said Chambers recruited Balogun and Lamb to become his drug runners during the height of the Covid-19 global pandemic. Balogun was a licensed minicab driver and would use his profession as cover to conduct drug ‘runs’ across London and south east England, while Lamb posed as a legitimate passenger in Balogun’s cab by sitting in the back
DUNFERMLINE DRIVER CAUGHT DRINK-DRIVING ON SCHOOL RUN
A Dunfermline taxi driver employed to take children to school was caught drink-driving when more than twice the limit. Police had received a report that Gurmit Singh had been drunk behind the wheel when taking pupils to school. He said he had been drinking whisky the night before and a sheriff commented he must have knocked back a “bucket- load of it”. When officers stopped him the next morning, Singh was smelling of alcohol, even though he was wearing a face mask and was chewing gum, and his eyes were glazed. Singh, 39, appeared for sentencing at Dunfermline Sheriff Court after admitting he drove a car having consumed excess alcohol on August 27, in Cowdenbeath. His reading was 54 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millil- itres of breath, the legal limit being 22 microgrammes. Defence solicitor Paul Donnachie said his client had not taken pupils to school on the morning he was stopped and pointed out he had now lost his taxi driver’s licence. Sheriff Brown fined Singh £600 and banned him from driv- ing for 16 months.
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during the drop offs. On Monday, May 18, plain-clothed offi- cers intercepted Balogun’s Toyota Prius and arrested the three men for conspir- acy to supply Class A drugs. When searching the vehicle, officers recov- ered two 1kg blocks of cocaine in a rucksack that Chambers was in posses- sion of and seized a separate holdall bag containing eight 1kg blocks of cocaine, which was open and placed between Lamb’s feet. A search of Chamber’s address resulted in the seizure of two encrypted smart- phones, electronic scales, £7,000 in cash, and a 1kg block of cocaine. A fur- ther search of Balogun’s address resulted in the seizure of two tubs con- taining skunk/cannabis, £5, wraps of cannabis and cocaine, scales, Xanax tablets, Benzocaine and a burner mobile phone. The drugs seized as part of this opera- tion have a street value of £1,100,000.
GLASGOWPH DRIVER CAUGHT WITH £300,000 OF COKE
In December last year Gordon Mitchel was seen doing a number of three-point turns in his PHV before being stopped by police. Prosecutor Lindsey Dalziel said the car was searched and initially only two mobile phones were found - one which appeared encrypted. Miss Dalziel told the High Court in Glasgow: “A trained dog handler was contacted. The dog then gave a strong indica- tion at the centre console of the car.” The compartment was yanked open and a plastic bag was found stashed inside. It contained a taped package of 996g of cocaine with a purity of 73%. Officers went onto search Mitchell’s home in Shettleston and found £1,020 in cash and three more mobile phones. The court was told the cocaine had a potential value of £290,906. It emerged Mitchell already had 11 previous convictions including for theft, assault and carrying weapons. Mitchell pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine. His bail was continued as sentencing was deferred until next month. He faces a further hearing under the Pro- ceeds of Crime Act early next year.
DECEMBER 2020
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