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Dealer gets 9 years as police seize £3.5m of cocaine and heroin

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Shopping trip: millions of pounds’ worth of high-grade cocaine was transported by Hewitt in an ordinary carrier bag

A criminal from Streatham who used supermarket carrier bags when supplying almost a hundredweight of cocaine and heroin to drug dealers in Croydon and across south London has been jailed.

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

Hewitt was investigated by officers from the Organised Crime Partnership, a joint unit operated by the National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police.

Nine years: Tishan Hewitt was sentenced yesterday

They arrested Hewitt, 28, at his home on Bournevale Road in January, 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, near South Norwood Country Park. 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 £1.8million were found in the shopping bags.

The driver, Jimmy Matthews, 25, 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.

Heroin haul: this shopping bag contained Class A drugs with a street value of £900,000

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 that car was charged with possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and 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 8kg of cocaine with an estimated street value of £720,000.

Awaiting sentencing: Ergis Kuci

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.

Detective Chief Inspector Ben Mahoney, from the Organised Crime Partnership, 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.”


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