A drug dealer who ran a cocaine network in East Hertfordshire and Broxbourne has been jailed for nine years.
Kyle Murphy’s County Lines operation supplied the Class A narcotic between August 2022 and August 2023.
The 25-year-old, of South Road, Ware was one of four people - three men and a woman - arrested by Hertfordshire Constabulary’s specialist County Lines gangs team, Operation Mantis, in August 2023.
The officers conducted a series of warrants and proactive stops and also seized cocaine with a potential street value of more than £7,000, over £90,000 in cash along with high-value watches and designer clothing.
The group appeared at Luton Crown Court on Thursday, May 9, and all pleaded guilty.
In addition to Murphy’s nine-year sentence for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, Alfie Short, 23, of Wood Green Way, Cheshunt, was sentenced to two years suspended for two years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).
Steven Unwin, 34, of Watton Road, Ware, was sentenced to one year in prison, suspended for two years, for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine) and Tanya Bowen 39, of Amwell Court, Waltham Abbey, was sentenced to seven months in jail, suspended for two years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine).
Detective Sergeant Jon Leak, from Hertfordshire Constabulary’s Operation Mantis team, said: “Murphy ran an established drug network, which supplied cocaine into the East Herts and Broxbourne areas.
“The disruption of this line will make a significant impact on drug use and associated crime in that part of the county. It also sends a clear message that drug dealing will not go unpunished and anyone involved will be caught and jailed.
“Exploitation of vulnerable young people is just one of the tragic symptoms of organised drug gangs.
“County Lines dealers can coerce people into providing a base for dealers to operate or to act as distributors themselves.
“They often use young people to handle drugs and money, drawing them deeper into gang affiliation that often leads to violence and abuse.”