A London man has been jailed for 30 months for his involvement in County Lines drug dealing in Andover. 

Malachi Murray, 20, of Blythe Hill Place in Brockley Park, appeared before Winchester Crown Court on Friday 17 January, having previously plead guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.

The court heard how a County Lines drug line had been operating in Andover under the name ‘Felix’ since September 2023.

A police investigation uncovered a number of phone numbers sending marketing messages under the Felix name. Further enquiries identified Malachi Murray as being the line holder, having direct links to all three phone lines.

Murray was arrested after officers from Hampshire and the Isle of Wight Constabulary executed a warrant at his home address with assistance from the Metropolitan Police on 8 July 2024. He was found to be in possession of the current Felix drug line.

County Lines drug supply is the trafficking of drugs from London into smaller cities and towns across the UK, using mobile phones. Line holders will use runners, often young and vulnerable children, to deliver the drugs. It’s linked to some of the most serious and violent crimes such as human trafficking, modern slavery, and child exploitation.

Murray’s 30 month sentence comes after a thorough investigation led by officers from Operation Monument, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s response to tackling county lines drugs networks, with the support of the Met’s Operation Orochi team.

Detective Sergeant Paul Jarrett said: “The supply of drugs, particularly Class A drugs, causes massive harm to our communities.

“As well as the damage it can cause to the life of the person taking them, the production and supply of drugs brings with it organised crime, serious violence, and the exploitation of vulnerable adults and children.

“As a phone-line holder, Malachi Murray was an influential link in Andover’s supply chain which has now been broken as a result of this sentence.

“This investigation is just one example of the work we do day in, day out, to disrupt drug supply in our communities.

“I urge anyone with information about drug related activity in their neighbourhood to report it to us so that we can continue targeting and disrupting those responsible.”

For more information about county lines drug dealing and how to spot the signs, please visit: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines/

To report information you can call us on 101, visit our website or call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also visit their website at https://crimestoppers-uk.org/