Alieu Koroma has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for running a ‘county lines’ drugs supply operation
(Picture: MPS)A rapper who used a 14-year-old as a drugs runner for ‘county lines’ supply of crack cocaine and heroin has been ordered to serve more than five years in prison.
Alieu Koroma, 22, sent out mass marketing messages to drug users advertising his illegal supply, and installed the boy in an address in Clacton-on-Sea to sell drugs and collect cash.
In July, he was sentenced to nearly four years in prison after admitting supplying drugs, possession of cocaine, and possession of a lock knife when arrested.
At the Court of Appeal on Tuesday, judges decided to increase the sentence to five years and three months in prison, agreeing with Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson that the original jail term had been “unduly lenient”.
Koroma, known as PS Hitsquad, had accrued nearly 50,000 followers on social media in a burgeoning drill rap career, with his biggest hit “Guten Tag/Jeden Tag” gaining BBC Radio 1 air time and getting 1.6 million views on YouTube.
He came under police suspicion after the 14-year-old boy, from northeast London, was reported missing and tracked to the property in Clacton in Essex.
When they found the boy, officers also discovered a large amount of cash and traced the operation to Koroma, who was arrested while leaving his home in Enfield, north London.
“This case is just another example of how county line dealers exploit young and vulnerable people to facilitate their drug supply”, said Metropolitan Police Detective Constable Ben Baker.
Koroma admitted running the drugs supply operation between October 2021 and January this year, with around 7,500 transactions among 800 customers.
Koroma admitted being knowingly concerned in the supply of class A drugs, possession of a class A drugs, and possession of a bladed article.
He was originally sentenced at Wood Green crown court.
“The class A drugs sold by Alieu Koroma are dangerous and ruin lives”, said Mr Tomlinson.
“Supplying them at this scale is a serious offence, so I am glad that the court has handed down a longer sentence that is a better reflection of the crimes that have taken place.”
