Vigilant residents who called 999 after seeing two men acting suspiciously near the junction of Cheam Common Road and London Road helped police to uncover a significant quantity of Class A drugs and cash inside a flat nearby.
The first resident to call police did so after seeing the men hanging around a block of garages behind the Post Office in Cheam Common Road.
The first resident to call police did so after seeing the men hanging around a block of garages behind the Post Office in Cheam Common Road.
As sirens sounded indicating the imminent arrival of police, two other residents - a couple - on their way home from a party buying a kebab from a shop in Cheam Common Road called 999 when they saw two men - one of them carrying a hold-all - disappear down an alleyway nearby. These residents believed the men may have been burglars.
Police arrived and enquiries led officers to force entry to a flat above a shop in Cheam Common Road.
In a bedroom they found a hold-all containing six large bags of white powder, two blocks of a brown substance and a large amount of cash. Further cash was found in a chest of drawers and in a kitchen cupboard. The total amount of cash seized was £22,622.
Police estimate that the street value of the two kilos of cocaine seized was between £99,000-£198,000 and the one kilo of MDMA between £32,250-£53,750.
One of the suspects - Luke Marshall - was arrested inside the address. The other suspect - Myles Bradley - was arrested a short while later.
At Inner London Crown Court on Friday, 5 February, Marshall, aged 28, of Kingshill Avenue, Worcester Park, and Bradley, aged 27, of Washington Road, Worcester Park, were each sentenced to five years imprisonment after being found guilty after a trial at the same court in January of possession with intent to supply cocaine and MDMA, and acquiring criminal property - cash amounting to £22,622. The offences occurred on Thursday, 13 December 2012.
The Judge ordered that the money be forfeited under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This was unopposed by the defendants.
Det Chief Insp Rachael Porter, of Sutton Police Station, said: "I would like to thank our witnesses in this case. Without their help, we would not have been able to build a case against these two men. One of the witnesses took time out from his work to attend two ID parades and Crown Court four times - twice at the Inner London Crown Court. He also identified one of the suspects and provided other valuable evidence including CCTV."
Police arrived and enquiries led officers to force entry to a flat above a shop in Cheam Common Road.
In a bedroom they found a hold-all containing six large bags of white powder, two blocks of a brown substance and a large amount of cash. Further cash was found in a chest of drawers and in a kitchen cupboard. The total amount of cash seized was £22,622.
Police estimate that the street value of the two kilos of cocaine seized was between £99,000-£198,000 and the one kilo of MDMA between £32,250-£53,750.
One of the suspects - Luke Marshall - was arrested inside the address. The other suspect - Myles Bradley - was arrested a short while later.
At Inner London Crown Court on Friday, 5 February, Marshall, aged 28, of Kingshill Avenue, Worcester Park, and Bradley, aged 27, of Washington Road, Worcester Park, were each sentenced to five years imprisonment after being found guilty after a trial at the same court in January of possession with intent to supply cocaine and MDMA, and acquiring criminal property - cash amounting to £22,622. The offences occurred on Thursday, 13 December 2012.
The Judge ordered that the money be forfeited under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. This was unopposed by the defendants.
Det Chief Insp Rachael Porter, of Sutton Police Station, said: "I would like to thank our witnesses in this case. Without their help, we would not have been able to build a case against these two men. One of the witnesses took time out from his work to attend two ID parades and Crown Court four times - twice at the Inner London Crown Court. He also identified one of the suspects and provided other valuable evidence including CCTV."