Ashford drug supplier jailed after cash and cannabis discovery

A drug supplier caught with large quantities of cannabis and around £8,000 cash at his home in Ashford has been jailed.

The property in Pound Lane was also found to contain nine mobile phones of which four were hidden inside a punchbag, and multiple weapons including an extendable baton, a machete, three smaller knives and a knuckleduster.

Officers seized the items as part of a warrant carried out under the Misuse of Drugs Act on Wednesday 9 November 2022.

Craig Wharton, 36, was not home at the time of the search and left the county after learning what had happened.

He was arrested a week later after being identified as the passenger in a car being driven into Kent via the Dartford Crossing. Officers who stopped the vehicle noticed cannabis being thrown from a window, with drugs also found inside.

Wharton later pleaded guilty to possession of a class B drug with intent to supply, and possession of criminal property.

Body-worn video

Sentenced

He was sentenced to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment at Maidstone Crown Court on Friday 6 January 2023, which included the activation of a suspended sentence received for a previous unrelated offence.

Investigating officer Detective Sergeant Dean Sycamore of the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate said:

‘Craig Wharton was involved in the supply of cannabis on a commercial scale and kept a wealth of incriminating evidence at his home address. ‘He should have used the opportunity to turn his life around when he previously received a suspended prison sentence, but instead he continued to offend and will now serve a period of time behind bars.’