A 29-year-old has been jailed for six years in connection with county lines drug offences in Bury St Edmunds.

Kasende Kasongo, of Grosvenor Road, London, was jailed after appearing at Ipswich Crown Court yesterday, Thursday, September 16 where he pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.

Officers from the Met police arrested a man on Tuesday, May 4 this year in London as part of Operation Orochi and he was taken to Martlesham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

Kasongo was charged with being concerned in the supply of cocaine and heroin, both between September 12 2020 and May 5 2021 in Bury St Edmunds and Basildon in Essex.

The investigation established that Kasongo was running two county line drug dealing businesses – one in Suffolk under the name of ‘Bones’ in the Bury St Edmunds area and one being the ‘Ace’ line in Basildon in Essex.

When police executed a warrant on May 4 at his London property they recovered £320 in cash, a bundle of class A wraps and also a list of class A drug users' contact details who are based in Suffolk and Essex.

Officers from the Serious Crime Disruption Team (SCDT) also recovered 13,000 text messages from two phones. The messages indicated that the ‘Bones’ and ’Ace’ lines mobile numbers were used to supply class A drug, namely crack cocaine and heroin.

Detective constable Dave Murphy, from the SCDT, said: "The conviction show how police forces working together — in this case Suffolk, the Met and Essex — can make a really positive difference to tackling drug dealing.

"The force wants to ensure the county remains a hostile environment for those involved in the supply of drugs and provide reassurance to Suffolk residents.

"Our local communities have an important role to play in this too. Don’t turn a blind eye.

"Talk to us about your concerns and we will work together to resolve the issue.”

Kasongo was also given a five year Serious Crime Prevention Order for running two county lines.