A narcotics trafficker who concealed himself within a wardrobe when law enforcement arrived to apprehend him has been sentenced to over five years in custody.
Images captured from body camera recordings illustrate the instance when officers descended upon a residence and uncovered Tallanius Bridgland, 29, cloaked within a walk-in wardrobe filled with garments.
Investigators from Kent Police had pinpointed a mobile phone number in July of this year, which had been utilized to reach out to a recognized drug user multiple times.
Authorities successfully linked the same mobile number to an individual associated with a location in Folkestone, Kent.
On October 2, officers descended on the address and apprehended Bridgland after discovering him concealed within the wardrobe.
A thorough search of the premises, assisted by a police drug detection dog, resulted in the recovery of packets containing class A substances, also located within the bedroom.
Some of the packets – which contained cocaine and heroin – had been tucked away inside a sizable container of nail polish bottles. Additionally, cash and a mobile phone were confiscated.
Bridgland confessed to his involvement in drug-related activities following a police inquiry, which confirmed his culpability.
He entered a guilty plea and on Tuesday at Canterbury Crown Court, he was sentenced to five years and seven months in prison.
Detective Sergeant Scott Drake from Kent Police remarked, ‘Substance dependency inflicts immense distress on the lives of users and all those associated with them, in addition to the communities where the repercussions of drug addiction extend.’
‘Dealers, who represent the core issue, may employ various tactics to evade capture, but we will relentlessly pursue justice and strive to eradicate narcotics from the streets of Kent.’
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