A county lines drug dealer who established a phone network to flood the streets of Newark with high-purity crack cocaine and heroin has been jailed.
Keanu McKoy was on probation from a previous possession with intent to supply drug charge when he first set up the ‘Gus’ drugs line from Mitcham, in South London, in October 2024.
Analysis of his personal mobile phone showed McKoy travelled from London to Newark on several occasions via train.
His fledgling criminal enterprise came crashing down when police caught McKoy running from an address in West Bridgford with a Harry Potter-branded bag-for-life, which revealed he was engaged in a different kind of potions class.
The 22-year-old recruited Paris Francis, also aged 22, to help run a new ‘Gus 2’ line, peddling drugs to the most vulnerable, when the line first became active in January 2025.
Together, they would send out hundreds of mass marketing text messages offering crack cocaine and heroin to a contact list of drug users.
As the police investigation progressed, specialist telecommunications officers established that McKoy brought his personal mobile phone with him alongside the drugs line phone, placing it in his possession on several occasions.
Nottingham Crown Court heard how an Airbnb in Haydn Road, Basford, was at one stage used as a base of operations for their drug dealing enterprise.
On 27 January 2025, Francis travelled to Newark via a taxi booked from the holiday let before more bulk text messages were sent out from the ‘Gus 2’ phone.
When police executed a warrant to raid the property the next day, they found Kai Wilson inside and recovered a stash of heroin, crack cocaine, and the ‘Gus 2’ drugs line mobile phone.
As the net closed in on McKoy, officers spotted him leaving an address in Boxley Drive, West Bridgford on 6 February 2025.
He was arrested on suspicion of being involved in the supply of crack cocaine.
During a search, officers found a package of crack cocaine in his trouser pocket, worth thousands of pounds in individual street deals.
McKoy also attempted to dispose of a package containing a cutting agent while the search was being conducted.
At the time of his arrest, McKoy was carrying a Harry Potter-branded bag-for-life, inside which was a broken glass measuring jug covered with a white residue, revealing the dark arts of drug dealing.
Shortly after, Francis was also arrested after he left the same address in Boxley Drive and got into a taxi, which was stopped by police.
Keanu McKoy, formerly of Wolseley Road, Mitcham, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying Class A drugs when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on 27 July.
He was jailed for six years and nine months.
Paris Francis, of Vernon Road, Old Basford, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying Class A drugs when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court on 27 July.
He was jailed for three years.
Kai Wilson, aged 19, of Thornbury Way, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin.
He has been remanded on conditional bail and will next appear at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on 21 September.
PC Jack Shephard, of Nottinghamshire Police’s county lines team, said: “This was an illicit operation generating large profits through hundreds of text messages sent to vulnerable drug users.
“Through a coordinated investigation, officers carried out warrants, seizing drugs and cash. Weapons were also recovered, reflecting the violence and intimidation often linked to organised drug supply.
“We have worked closely with Operation Orochi throughout this investigation, the Metropolitan Police’s dedicated taskforce to shut down illegal drug supply networks.
“Dismantling county lines activity demands considerable investigative work, but it remains a priority due to the serious impact these networks have on our communities.”
