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A pair of south London drug dealers who supplied heroin and crack cocaine through a county lines network have been jailed for nine years.

Musicians Cassiel Wuta-Ofei, 27 from Crystal Palace and Malki Martin, 24, of Streatham Hill shipped drugs throughout Berkshire and Hampshire for over two years.

The two men became subject of a police investigation after Hampshire police officers pulled over a Mercedes A Class car driven by Wuta-Ofei in March 2018.

Inside the car was a mobile phone officers later attributed to a prolific county line using the moniker ‘Ozzy’.

Analysis of the phone's data showed repeated journeys between Lambeth and Basingstoke.

Police were able to prove that Martin and Wuta-Ofei had acted as the principal line-holders for the Ozzy network.

A court heard Wuta-Ofei and Martin had previous convictions for possession with intent to supply crack cocaine and heroin in 2013.

Wuta-Ofei, of Priory Crescent, was jailed for four and a half years after being found guilty of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine between February and May 2018.

Martin, of Fortrose Gardens, also jailed for four-and-a-half years, admitted conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine between February and August 2018.

He also admitted supplying crack cocaine and heroin for two further county lines - one operating in Newbury, Berkshire, between August 2018 and October 2018 and the other in Farnborough, Hampshire, in February 2019.

Detective Constable Jamie Grocott said: "County line operators ruthlessly exploit the most harmful addictions for profit - relying on a network of vulnerable individuals and a culture of violence and intimidation.

"The sentences passed today reflect the enormous harm such offences cause to communities across the UK.

"Both Wuta-Ofei and Martin are young men - I hope they use the time in prison to reflect on the gravity of their crimes and return to society ready to make a positive contribution."