Four drug dealers who ran a commercial cocaine supply network in Watford, other Three Rivers areas and beyond, have been jailed for more than 28 years.
The four men were arrested in 2022 following an investigation by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s specialist organised crime team, Operation Relentless. The organised crime group ran the ‘Ace’ drug line for several years dealing cocaine. During the operation, more than nine kilograms of cocaine were seized with a street value of around £900,000.
The men appeared for sentencing at St Albans Crown Court on Friday 3 November, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing.
Chas Wright, Mkamba Panda, Paul Robinson and Scott Hocking, a Watford resident, received sentences varying between four and ten years for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine.)
Wright, who fled to Spain before returning to the UK several weeks later, was also handed a serious crime prevention order, which will commence upon his release.
Tyler McConnon, aged 28, of Southwold Road, Watford, who was part of the same group, was previously sentenced to seven years and six months.
Detective Inspector Grant Finnie, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Operation Relentless team, said: “This organised crime group, led by Wright, ran a major cocaine supply network which blighted the Watford and Three Rivers areas for many years. Successfully dismantling such a significant network will have a big impact on drug use and associated crime within these parts of the county. This will also send a message to anyone involved in drug dealing, that we are watching, and they will be caught and face long jail terms.
“Organised crime groups use violence, supply drugs and commit a whole range of crimes that pose a real threat to the community. Operation Relentless is Hertfordshire Constabulary’s response to this on-going threat. As part of this work, we depend on information from members of the public to help us crack down on drug-related crime. Any information you can provide, no matter how small it may seem, could help us to identify and apprehend drug dealers.”
You can report information about a crime online at herts.police.uk/report or speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat, which can be launched here: herts.police.uk/contact. You also call the non-emergency number 101. If a crime is in progress call 999.
Alternatively, you can stay 100% anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.
If someone you know has a drug problem, they can get help by contacting Frank on 0800 77 66 00 or visiting www.talktofrank.com.
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