A county lines drug dealer who used an Airbnb property and a Harry Potter shopping bag while running a Class A drugs operation has been jailed for almost seven years. Keanu McKoy, 22, established the ‘Gus’ county lines network from Mitcham, South London, supplying high-purity crack cocaine and heroin into Newark, Nottinghamshire. Despite already being on probation for a previous drug offence, McKoy set up the drugs line in October 2024, regularly travelling between London and Newark by train.

Hundreds of Drug Marketing Messages

Police uncovered evidence showing McKoy later recruited Paris Francis, 22, to help run a second drugs line known as ‘Gus 2’, which became active in January 2025. The pair sent hundreds of mass text messages advertising crack cocaine and heroin to known drug users across Newark, targeting vulnerable people. Specialist telecommunications officers were able to link McKoy directly to the operation by analysing his personal mobile phone, placing him alongside the dedicated drugs line handset during repeated trips between London and Nottinghamshire.

Airbnb Used as Drugs Base

Nottingham Crown Court heard the pair used an Airbnb property in Haydn Road, Basford, as a base for their drug dealing operation. On 27 January 2025, Francis travelled by taxi from the holiday let to Newark before another wave of marketing messages was sent from the ‘Gus 2’ phone. The following day, officers executed a warrant at the property, where they found Kai Wilson, 19. Police recovered heroin, crack cocaine and the ‘Gus 2’ drugs line mobile phone during the search.

Harry Potter Bag Leads to Arrest

As the investigation intensified, officers spotted McKoy leaving an address in Boxley Drive, West Bridgford, on 6 February 2025. He was arrested carrying a Harry Potter-branded bag-for-life, which investigators discovered contained a broken glass measuring jug coated in white residue, believed to have been used in the preparation of Class A drugs. Police also recovered a package of crack cocaine from his trouser pocket worth thousands of pounds in street deals. During the search, McKoy attempted to dispose of a cutting agent used in the preparation of illegal drugs. Francis was arrested shortly afterwards after leaving the same address and getting into a taxi, which officers stopped.

Prison Sentences

McKoy, formerly of Wolseley Road, Mitcham, pleaded guilty to two counts of supplying Class A drugs. He was sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court to six years and nine months’ imprisonment. Francis, of Vernon Road, Old Basford, also admitted two counts of supplying Class A drugs and was jailed for three years. Meanwhile, Kai Wilson, of Thornbury Way, Nottingham, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin. The 19-year-old has been remanded on conditional bail and is due to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 21 September. Police said the investigation demonstrates their continued commitment to dismantling county lines drug networks and protecting communities from the violence and exploitation associated with Class A drug supply.

Originally published by UKNIP.