Birmingham men jailed for London supply of heroin and cocaine

Three men have been jailed after police said they caught them discussing their large drugs supply operation on the EncroChat network.

Rayal Eastwood, Dakarai Thomas and Zadengel Raphael were described by police as "very significant players in pumping large quantities of Class A drugs into our communities".

The trio admitted conspiracy to supply drugs during a two-and-a-half-year period.

Police said the chat focused on London.

Eastwood from Handsworth, Birmingham, admitted five counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine, heroin and crack cocaine and one count of possession of criminal property.

The 38-year-old - whom police said was a rapper known as Champaz - was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

Raphael, 41, from Colchester, admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine and one count of possession of criminal property. He was sentenced to ten years in prison.

Thomas, 37, of Aston, Birmingham, admitted one count of conspiracy to supply cocaine and was sentenced to six years and nine months.

The West Midlands force said large quantities of cash were seized during a police operation, including £53,950 from Eastwood's home, as well as an Audi A5 Quattro and a BMW X6.

The offences covered December 2017 to July 2020, and the men were sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday.

In messages on EncroChat, they discussed supplying London and the South East, said police.

Det Con Daniel Wilson, from the West Midlands force, said: "These were very significant players pumping large quantities of Class A drugs into our communities and causing untold harm and misery."

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