WIREDGOV

A drug dealer jumped into a reservoir and tried to dissolve a haul of cocaine after realising he was under surveillance.



Kerry Reed, 39, of Shepperton, London, eventually tired and waded back to dry land where officers from the joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service’s Organised Crime Partnership were waiting for him.



A kilo of class A dissolved into the water but the packing was recovered which proved it was cocaine.



Reed had earlier met with accomplices Ndrek Prenga, 33, from Ashford, Surrey, Elton Qajka, 21, from Islington, and Nikolin Dushi, 30, from Barnet who handed Reed a brown bag during a meeting at Prenga’s home.



Reed drove away from the meeting at 3pm on 2 August 2017 before stopping in a layby, grabbing the brown bag and sprinting down an overgrown path where he plunged into the water.



Officers recovered another drugs package from the water and searches of his vehicle and home resulted in the seizure of mobile phones, a significant amount of cash and a kilo block of cocaine.



Prenga, Dushi and Qajka, who are Albanian nationals, were arrested on the same day.



Officers searched their homes and found more mobile phones, bundles of cash, false identity documents and packaging consistent with the supply of controlled drugs.



All four were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs, with Reed and Prenga additionally charged with possessing criminal property.



Today at Blackfriars Crown Court, after pleading guilty, Reed was jailed for eight years, Prenga for eight-and-a-half, Dushi for six and Qajka for three years.



Martin Groves from the Organised Crime Partnership said: “We believe Reed, Prenga, Dushi and Qajka are part of a wider organised crime group distributing wholesale cocaine on a commercial scale across London and the South East.



“They were employed in trusted roles which included the transportation of drugs and cash to those who oversaw the distribution and directed the illicit activity.



“Like any business, drug trafficking relies on cash flow and if any business loses an expensive commodity in the middle of a transaction, not only does the cash flow dry up but the trust between crime groups is damaged, making it harder to do business together in future.



“Using all the means at our disposal, our efforts to disrupt organised crime in London and across the UK will not stop”.