Airport arrests of Maidstone drug dealers

Three men are starting prison sentences after CID officers proved they were responsible for the large scale supply of class A drugs in Maidstone.

A proactive investigation in 2025 identified a dedicated phone number known as the ‘Vito Line’ was being used to organise the delivery of cocaine to local dealers.

On 2 May, officers in plain clothes arrested three men in Brunswick Street and seized four mobile phones along with almost 100 deals of cocaine.

The phones were examined and messages were found along with photographs of Vitlum Hasanaj. These proved he was holding the ‘Vito Line’ and had been directing two of the men to supply the third.

Further arrest

On 4 June, officers in plain clothes saw a known drug user get out of a car parked in Hastings Road. Suspecting he had just purchased drugs the vehicle was stopped after it moved off and the driver, Gezim Dollapaj, was arrested and £293 in cash was seized.

His phone was analysed and revealed he had been delivering cocaine to multiple addresses on behalf of the ‘Vito Line.’

Further enquiries proved Kreshnik Hasanaj had been sending the messages to Dollapaj using a phone number that was also connected to his brother Vitlum.

On 30 June, officers became aware that Vitlum Hasanaj was travelling to Stansted Airport and he was arrested as he got off his flight.

His brother was parked in a car at a nearby fast food restaurant and he was also detained. Officers also seized £1,230 in cash from the vehicle.

Both men had mobile phones connected to the ‘Vito Line’ that contained messages and videos relating to the large scale supply of cocaine to lower-level dealers.

Charged

Kreshnik Hasanaj, 27, of Ordnance Road, Enfield, London; Vitlum Hasanaj, 36, of Rockwell Court, Maidstone and Gezim Dollapaj, 41, of Kingswood Estate, Southwark, London, were all charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs. All three are Albanian nationals.

They pleaded not guilty at Maidstone Crown Court but were all convicted following an eight day trial. On 20 March 2026, the two Hasanaj brothers were jailed for five years and Dollapaj was imprisoned for three years and six months.

Detective Inspector Matt Lynch said:

‘These two brothers were running a significant criminal enterprise and making a large profit while bringing cocaine into Maidstone. They thought they could remain anonymous by using others to deal the drugs but were overconfident and had not accounted for the efforts of our dedicated officers.
‘These two men along with their associates brought misery to local families affected by drug abuse and are responsible for the offences committed by their customers. Their prison sentences are well deserved and entirely justified.’