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Police said Kenechi, of Cardiff, was controlling the operation through a central mobile phone number, which he and his brother used to contact hundreds of numbers via text when they had supplies of drugs available. The brothers would receive orders back, and then instruct others to supply the users in Norwich. Their couriers would then collect the money in exchange for the drugs in Norwich.
Police seized photographs of Kenechi posing with some expensive-looking trainers, a watch and a Mercedes with a large wad of cash in the background. When they were accosted by the police, Kenechi claimed he was running a legitimate clothes distribution business, but he was unable to provide any tangible evidence of the business that would account for the amount of cash that was both seized and seen in the pictures. Detective Sergeant Paul Harris, from the Met's Trident and Area Crime Command, said: 'This was a complex investigation spanning from Cardiff to Norwich via London. 'Kenechi Ochereobia tried to hide his involvement in the large-scale supply of drugs in Norwich by pretending to be a legitimate clothes distributor, while in reality he was getting younger gang members to run drugs across the country. 'I would like to thank South Wales Police and Norfolk Constabulary for their support on this operation.'
The investigation was led by the Metropolitan Police's Trident and Area Crime Command with support from colleagues from South Wales Police and Norfolk Constabulary and launched in March last year after officers learned there was a drugs supply network operating out of London to supply drugs in and around the Norwich area. It was revealed that Kenechi's mode of operation was to hire vehicles and was travelling between Cardiff, London and Norwich in the hire cars to facilitate the dealing and oversee operations.
His cup got filled after he was stopped in a hire car and arrested in Norwich in connection with an unrelated matter on June 10, 2016, along with Frankie Dos Santos.
Frankie Dos Santos was arrested on a unrelated matter while travelling with Kenechi last summer. Officers also searched a nearby address the pair had just visited and found Elliot Murawski along with £6,000 in cash hidden inside an oven at the house. Murawski was also arrested but were released from custody whilst enquiries continued.
However, Murawski was stopped and arrested again on August 30, 2016 at Birchanger Services and he was found in possession of approximately £3,000 worth of heroin and crack cocaine. Officers were able to demonstrate that Murawski was a key part of the distribution network and was regularly in contact with Kenechi.
Further enquiries led officers to identify Calvyn Green as being linked to the network and he was arrested on September 6, 2016 at Ipswich Railway Station on a London-bound train from Norwich. He was found in possession of almost £2,500 in cash, as well as mobile phones that had been used to communicate with both Kenechi and those he was supplying the drugs to. Two weeks later, officers stopped and arrested Jaivon Prince at Liverpool Street Station.
Prince initially denied having any drugs in his possession, but after officers searched his home address and found wraps of heroin and crack cocaine with a street value of around £20,000; he admitted to having two packets of drugs concealed within his body. Prince was taken to hospital, where hundreds of wraps of heroin and cocaine were recovered, totalling around £2,000. On October 13, 2016 three simultaneous search warrants were executed at the addresses of Kenechi and Oluchi Ochereobia and Dos Santos in Cardiff and London, and the three were all arrested.
While carrying out a search, police discovered a safe with large amounts of cash stowed inside. Officers found around £23,000 in cash hidden in Kenechi's Cardiff home. Officers found several pictures that showed Kenechi posing with large amounts of cash - proceeds of his drug dealing.
The six men were all subsequently charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs - namely heroin and crack cocaine. Murawski, of Norwich, and Prince, of Hackney, both pleaded guilty to the conspiracy on November 17, 2016 and Friday, March 17 respectively. The other four were all found guilty on Friday, May 12 at Blackfriars Crown Court following a trial. All six are due to be sentenced on Friday, May 26.
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