Four year prison sentence for dealer who threw drugs from moving car on M20

A drug dealer from Orpington who attempted to discard his stash from a moving car has been jailed for four years.

At around 6.30pm on Friday 15 November 2024, officers attempted to stop a vehicle travelling on the M20 in Ashford. Officers were following the vehicle as they had reason to believe its driver, Akindele Balogun, had breached the conditions of his bail.

He was on licence at the time for drug supply offences and was already under investigation for breaching probation conditions. These breaches included leaving London during curfew hours and providing a false address to probation officers.

Despite police activating blue lights and sirens, the 43 year old initially refused to stop. He continued driving erratically, moving between lanes before veering onto the hard shoulder. During the pursuit, officers saw white packages being thrown from the vehicle onto the motorway.

Patrols brought the vehicle to a halt by boxing it in with their cars and Balogun was quickly detained. A search of the vehicle uncovered two wraps of cocaine and two mobile phones. Officers then retraced the route of the pursuit and recovered four additional wraps of Class A drugs from the hard shoulder.

He was arrested on suspicion of supplying Class A drugs and taken to Folkestone Police Station.

A search of his home address at Emerald House, Orpington, was carried out the following day. Inside his bedroom, officers found a large block of crack cocaine and a block of heroin concealed in the pockets of some shorts. Another block of heroin was discovered inside a utility cupboard, along with £450 in cash hidden in a kitchen cupboard.

Following a week long trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Balogun was found guilty of two counts of possession with intent to supply on Monday 2 February 2026. Exactly a month later he reappeared at the same court and was sentenced to four years in jail.

Detective Constable Martin Aird said:

‘Balogun showed a clear determination to evade officers and dispose of evidence while driving dangerously on a busy motorway. He put other drivers at risk, and thanks to the quick actions of pursuing officers, the vehicle was safely stopped. ‘I welcome the sentence handed down by the justice system, and hope it serves as a warning to anyone considering entering the drug trade and believing they can outrun the consequences.’