6 days ago
County lines drug dealers handcuffed while sleeping
Two county lines drug dealers were handcuffed by police as they slept in bed next to each other.
Miguel Figueiredo-Mendes, 28, and Jean Paul Ekombolo, 28, were arrested during an early morning raid in Leicester.
Bodycam footage showed officers storming into the flat at 5.30am on October 5 2022. While officers searched the property, Figueiredo-Mendes and Ekombolo were arrested.
Officers also seized crack cocaine with a street value of £10,700, along with £1,000 in cash.
A third man, Christian Mudianga, 35, was also arrested at another property in the city.
The men were arrested following an investigation of a drugs line between London and Coalville, Leicestershire. All three admitted conspiracy to supply drugs over several hearings.
Figueiredo-Mendes, of Chigwell, Essex, was jailed for six years and three months. Ekombolo, of Barking, east London, was jailed for four years while Mudianga, of Leicester, was sentenced to four years and three months.
Inspector Steve Burge, the Neighbourhood Policing Commander for North West Leicestershire, said: 'Drug offending ruins lives and brings harm to our communities. We will not tolerate it and will continue to work to remove illegal drugs from our streets and to bring those responsible to court.
'Dedicated and detailed team work across forces allowed us to gather the full information in relation to this drugs line and who was involved. This allowed us to successfully execute early morning warrants which ultimately led to those responsible being charged.
'With the evidence gathered, the defendants were then left with no option but to plead guilty to their crimes.'
Detective Inspector James Seager, from the Met's Operation Orochi team, said: 'County line drug offending causes immense harm to young people and communities.
'The prosecution of these three individuals for serious criminal activity was as a result of effective collaboration between Leicestershire Police and the MPS to address the challenge of county line offending between Leicester and London.'
