Three men have been jailed for a total of 47 years for supplying more than 45kgs of cocaine across the city and to county lines gangs.
Between March and June 2020, Warren Wright, 48, of Camdale Road, Greenwich, Xieng Ly, of Stone Gardens, Rochester, and Mark John Baeza, 44, of Bracondale Road, Greenwich, supplied drugs that were then prepared for sale across South-east London including to county lines drug gangs.
Wright was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment on Friday at Isleworth Crown Court for conspiracy to supply over 15kgs of cocaine.
Previously, at Woolwich Crown Court on July 21, Baeza was sentenced to 18 years’ in prison for conspiracy to supply 15kgs of cocaine. The Met have said they do not have a custody picture of Baeza.
Ly was also given an 18 year sentence, for conspiracy to supply 11kgs of cocaine and conspiracy to supply 6kgs of cannabis.
All three men were found guilty at Woolwich Crown Court on July 20.
Baeza and Ly used multiple addresses in South-east London to store both drugs and cash.
They ran the operation and tried to distance themselves from the drugs by employing people below them to take hold of the drugs before cutting them and preparing them to be sold on.
Baeza, Ly and Wright all used the ENCRO chat platform – a secure communications network where messages cannot be easily hijacked -to run the operation buying and selling large amounts of cocaine.
On January 21, 2021, officers carried out search warrants across South-east London. Baeza and Wright were arrested following searches at their home addresses.
They were charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs the following day.
There was evidence on the ENCRO chat phone which led officers to link Ly to the group. He was arrested on July 25, 2022, as he arrived back in the UK and was charged the next day.
Detective Constable Imran Hansraj said: “Baeza, Ly and Wright took a calculated gamble when they became involved in the illegal drugs trade.
“Despite believing that using encrypted devices made them untouchable, the sentences handed down show that ultimately their business model was flawed.
“The direct link between drug dealing and violence is clear and the consequences bring absolute devastation to communities across London.
“The drugs trade relies upon exploitation and violence to operate and as such we will continue to pursue those responsible putting them before the courts.”
Picture top: Warren Wright and Xieng Ly, the Met said they do not have a custody picture of Mark John Baeza (Picture: The Met)
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