A notorious drug dealer, Rhys Herbert, has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after a judge ruled he played a pivotal role in smuggling and distributing vast quantities of cannabis.
The 24-year-old, of Lonsdale Road, Notting Hill, had already admitted to his involvement in the large-scale supply of the Class B drug and the fraudulent evasion of prohibition.
But following a Newton hearing at Lincoln Crown Court, the judge confirmed Herbert’s significance in the operation, which saw at least 45kg of cannabis trafficked.
The web of criminality unravelled when Herbert was pulled over for a routine traffic offence in Westminster in November 2023.
What seemed like a minor stop quickly escalated after officers discovered he had shared personal details of one of them on social media.
A deeper probe into his seized phone exposed his central role in an extensive drug-smuggling network.
According to Met Police, with damning evidence stacking up against him, Herbert was arrested at a Lincoln address in February 2024.
Confronted with the scale of his criminal enterprise, he had no choice but to plead guilty.
Detective Constable Jacob Saville, who led the investigation, described the case as a crushing blow to the drug trade.
“Herbert’s involvement in the importation and supply of significant amounts of cannabis was undeniable. Once we accessed his phone, the evidence against him was overwhelming.”
The officer reaffirmed the police’s commitment to dismantling drug networks, adding, “Drugs and the crime they bring destroy communities. We will relentlessly pursue those who profit from this misery.”
Herbert will now serve three years and 11 months behind bars, his empire in ruins as law enforcement tightens its grip on the criminal underworld.