Luton drug dealer who played 'significant' role in supply of cocaine jailed for nine years

A drug dealer from Luton who facilitated the sale of 10 kilogrammes of Class A drugs has been jailed, following an investigation by Bedfordshire Police’s Operation Costello team.

Over a three-month period between March and June 2020, Craig McKoy, 34, of Peartree Road, Luton used an encrypted device to arrange meetings where significant weights of drugs and amounts of cash were exchanged.

However, servers linked to the ‘Encrochat’ device McKoy was using were seized by law enforcement in Spring 2020, enabling detectives to shine a light on the criminal networks suspected of being involved in the highest levels of serious and organised crime across the country.

Investigators were able to attribute McKoy to one of the users on the system and messages from his account showed he had a prominent role in an organised crime group (OCG) in Luton.

Conversations involving his handle discussed weighing and ‘splitting’ large amounts of cocaine, arranging meetings in Luton car parks and other locations across the country to sell drugs to other dealers, and transporting tens of thousands of pounds in cash.

McKoy was arrested by Operation Costello officers in June 2021 and a search of his address found cocaine, large amounts of designer branded items including a Rolex watch, clothing and shoes, and several mobile phones.

On Wednesday (February 23), he was jailed for nine years after pleading guilty to a charge of conspiracy to supply cocaine.

Detective Inspector James Panter, from Operation Costello, said: “McKoy played a significant role in the movement of large amounts of wholesale cocaine in Luton and beyond and, as shown by the substantial sentence he received, this isn’t something that will be tolerated in Bedfordshire.

“It is clear that he paid no regard to the damage and misery he was inflicting by selling these vast quantities of cocaine, and I’m delighted he will no longer be able to continue this activity.

“Drug related crime doesn’t just involve those moving and distributing the substances; it has far reaching consequences in our communities and is intrinsically linked to things like burglary and theft, as well as violence and exploitation.

“That’s why we are committed to bringing those involved to justice.”

Anyone with information about drug dealing, county lines or child criminal exploitation can contact Bedfordshire Police on 101 or via the force’s online reporting centre.

All of these reports are fed into police intelligence systems and can help officers build up a better picture of organised crime. You can also report information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.