Crack cocaine dealers get 14 years following Finsbury flat bust

Vandamme Dingi (Image: Archant)

Samson Ogbeni, 22, of Colebrook Row, Islington and Vandamme Dingi, 21, of Aberdeen Park, Highbury, were found by police with nearly £5,000 worth of crack cocaine and £4,354 in cash when officers responded to a disturbance in at Riceyman House, Lloyd Baker Street on March 19 2013.

They forced entry and found Ogbeni pretending to be asleep on the sofa. The cocaine was in two bags, one containing 165 wraps waiting to be sold and the other containing a large rock of crack weighing 24.2 grams.

Police an iphone left inside the address, registered to Dingi, which he had reported missing on March 20 2013.

Dingi’s and Ogbeni’s fingerprints were found on the bag of crack cocaine and Police were able to prove that Dingi’s iphone had been in the vicinity of Riceyman House throughout 19 March and that he had been in constant contact with Ogbeni in the week leading up to the 19th March.

Dingi had also spent over £2000 in cash on hire cars in the month of March 2013.

Dingi was stopped 12 days later in a grey BMW in Highbury. Inside the car was a further £2660 and a further £1495 was found at his home address hidden in a sock.

Ogbeni was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months imprisonment for Possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and 2 years for money laundering (to run concurrently) after Detective constable Darren Rose, Islington CID, said: “The drugs we seized were destined for the streets of London and both men were clearly profiting from dealing crack cocaine, as seen by the amount of cash they were spending on hire cars and found in possession of.

“This isn’t the first time these men have been found guilty of supply Class A drugs, so the lengthy sentences they have received will ensure their criminal activity will be curtailed for the foreseeable future.”

Both men were sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court on Wednesday.

Ogbeni was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for Possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and two years for money laundering, to run concurrently, after pleading guilty on day two of a trial.

Dingi, who pleaded not guilty was given seven years for possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply and two years for money laundering, to run concurrently.