WIREDGOV

A Streatham criminal who supplied a total of 42.7 kilos of cocaine and heroin to drug dealers in south London has been jailed.

Tishan Hewitt, 28, (right) was investigated by officers from the Organised Crime Partnership (OCP), a joint National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service unit.

They arrested Hewitt at his Streatham home in January this year, after he made three separate handovers of drugs packed into reusable shopping bags.

During the first one, in April last year, surveillance officers saw him driving a grey Mercedes A class which eventually parked in Mardell Road, Croydon. Shortly afterwards he placed two full bags into the rear passenger seats of a nearby blue Ford Mondeo.

The Ford drove off and was followed by OCP officers, who stopped it a few minutes later. It was searched and 20 kilos of high purity, unadulterated cocaine with an estimated street value of £1.8 million were found in the shopping bags.

The driver, 25-year-old Jimmy Matthews, from Bordon in Hampshire, was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to eight years imprisonment at Croydon Crown Court in May last year.

Later that day, OCP officers saw Hewitt transfer another bag to a Mitsubishi Colt on the same Croydon road as the first transfer.

The Mitsubishi drove off but was followed by OCP officers and stopped on a road in Beckenham. Officers searched it and found a bag behind the front passenger seat which contained 14.7 kilos of heroin with an estimated street value of £900,000.

The driver of the car was charged with possession with intent to supply class A drugs and currently awaits trial. 

Finally, in May last year, Hewitt was seen getting out of the Mercedes before transferring a bag to a white Audi Q7 in Langley Road, Beckenham.

OCP officers followed the Audi and stopped it a few miles away. A bag found between the legs of rear passenger Ergis Kuci, 25, from Bradford, contained almost eight kilos of cocaine with an estimated street value of £720,000.

Kuci admitted intent to supply class A drugs in December last year. He will be sentenced following the re-trial of the Audi’s driver, due to start in March 2024.

OCP officers who searched Hewitt’s home following his arrest found small quantities of cocaine, ketamine and cannabis; £2,235 in cash, part of a heavy drugs press and drugs paraphernalia such as elastic bands, scales and spoons. A number of mobile phones were also recovered.

Hewitt pleaded guilty to drugs possession and supply offences at Inner London Crown Court in April this year, and was sentenced to nine years at Croydon Crown Court yesterday (4 December). 

Detective Chief Inspector Ben Mahoney, from the Organised Crime Partnership, yesterday said:

“Tishan Hewitt was a significant supplier of cocaine and heroin to dealers in south London, making him central to a trade that drives intimidation and violence in those areas, and also presents substantial dangers to users.

“Using the combined strength of the NCA and Metropolitan Police, we continue to disrupt the organised criminals behind the class A drugs trade.”