Gunshot in Bedfordshire leads to 3 jailed for cross-county drugs line
Three men have been put behind bars after police investigating a gunshot uncovered their roles in a cross-county drugs line.
Mateusz Zimny, Omar Joof and Cameron Tate pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A and Class B drugs.
Police had seized significant quantities of cannabis and cocaine from properties linked to the men – along with multiple phones, cash and other drug paraphernalia – some of it covered in suspicious white powder.
Messages and other material found on the seized devices also connected the men to a wider drug supply network.
The investigation began as part of separate inquiries into a gunshot in Arlesey last year.
Zimny and Tate were sentenced at Luton Crown Court on Friday, July 18, while Joof was sentenced earlier in June.
Zimny, 26, and of Cherry Blossom Close, London, was sentenced to three years and nine months, with an additional 10 months for separate drug and driving offences committed in another county, to run consecutively.
Joof, 24, and of Milestone Road, Hitchin, was jailed for three years and four months, and Tate, 26, and of Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, for three years.
Detective Constable Nema Behzadi from Bedfordshire Police’s Boson guns and gangs team, who led the investigation, said: “Drugs are a major factor behind much of the violence and criminality we deal with, posing a serious risk to public safety.
“We are committed to targeting those involved in drug supply – even when operations cross force and county borders.
“By working together and sharing intelligence, we can make it harder for criminals to operate and help protect our communities.”
If you believe a drugs line may be operating in your area, report to police online or by calling 101.
Signs to spot include:
> Suspicious activity at a property, such as people coming and going at all hours
> An increase in anti-social behaviour, such as littering, vandalism, noise and street drinking
> Finding drug paraphernalia such as discarded needles, small plastic bags or other drug-related items
> Residents being threatened or feeling intimidated by groups of people who haven’t been seen in the area before