The Magnum 357 revolver seized along with 12 rounds of ammunition at the flat in Evelyn Street. Photo: Met Police
Four men operating a drugs factory from a flat in Deptford aimed at “flooding the streets of London with Class A and Class B drugs” have been jailed at Woolwich Crown Court for a total of 21 years after an anti guns and drugs enquiry by Lewisham’s Operation Trilogy unit.
David Kelly, 36, of Evelyn Street, Deptford received five years imprisonment for firearms offences and four years for conspiring to supply cocaine. He also received three years for conspiracy to supply cannabis and 12 months for possession of ammunition. These sentences will be served at the same time (concurrently).
Richard Sarsfield, 35, of Avondale Square received four years and six months for plotting to deal in cocaine.
Gary Paget, 34 of Rotherhithe New Road, was jailed for four years and six months also for plotting to deal in cocaine and a concurrent sentence of three years for cannabis.
Daniel Kavanagh, 32, of Bermondsey Wall East, received three years and six months for conspiring to supply cocaine.
Gary Paget (left) and Richard Sarsfield (right) Photo: Met Police
The men had pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiring to supply cocaine, Kelly admitted possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of ammunition and conspiring to supply cannabis.
Detective Constable Hazel Raine of Operation Trilogy said: “Today’s sentences mark the end for this heavily armed organized criminal network, responsible for the high level distribution of significant quantities of Class A drugs in London. This operation resulted in the recovery of a firearm and some extremely lethal corresponding ammunition as well as a significant quantity of drugs. Operation Trilogy will continue to target and incarcerate gangs of this nature.”
Detective Superintendent Si Cunneen, Head of Lewisham Crime Command, said: “This is a clear warning to those individuals who are intent on distributing and supplying illegal drugs in the community. A disturbing aspect of this operation was the presence of a firearm and ammunition but at the same time a reassuring and significant recovery. The convictions and recent sentencing is a clear signal to any criminal concerned in these type of offences that they can expect lengthy sentences of imprisonment and cannot evade justice.”
Daniel Kavanagh (left) and David Kelly (right) Photo: Met Police
The Metropolitan Police believe these convictions and sentences at Woolwich Crown Court represent a successful outcome of Operation Trilogy which provides “a proactive response to gang related crime on Lewisham borough”, and checking “gun and drug related criminality.”
Detectives acted on intelligence that drugs were being supplied from a flat in Evelyn Street, Deptford. They raided on March 15 last year and in the search collected evidence that it was being used as “a drug factory/distribution centre.”
Sarsfield and Kavanagh were caught red handed by officers in the process of cutting up and diluting cocaine hydrochloride.
Police also discovered a Magnum 357 revolver along with 12 rounds of ammunition during the search and recovered 606 grams of 90 per cent pure cocaine, 6.5 kg of cannabis (skunk), a powder press (complete with a kilo and half a kilo plates), drugs packaging and other drugs paraphernalia.
Detectives estimate from the evidence they obtained that the cocaine being dealt with from this address had a potential street value of nearly four million pounds.
Kelly was later arrested hiding in a bathroom in Barnes. Paget was located last Summer at a caravan site in Eastchurch, Isle of Sheppey.
