‘We are watching you’ was the message from detectives to drug dealers this Christmas – as a former barista was jailed at Oxford Crown Court.

Slough man Kabir Rao was put before the courts in November after police raided the bedsit the 20-year-old shared with his mum.

Rao admitted sending messages on behalf of County Lines dealers advertising drugs for sale – but claimed never to have seen any of the drugs he was offering to addicts.

Read our report from the sentencing hearing here.

Welcoming the 28 month sentence imposed earlier this week, detective constable Rob Mogridge of Thames Valley Police’s Drugs Focus Taskforce said: “County Lines drug dealing cause untold harm in our communities and we remain absolutely committed on removing dealers from society.

“This sentence shows that it is not acceptable to bring or supply class A drugs into Oxfordshire and we will never tolerate this criminality in our communities.

“My message to anybody who thinks it is acceptable is this: we are watching you, we will investigate you, and we will bring you before the courts to face justice.”

On Tuesday, Judge Maria Lamb told Rao: “You know as well as anybody that drugs are a scourge on this society.

“You may not have dealt with them face-to-face and I do not deal with you on the basis you did, but you were actually involved in the dealing of class A drugs.”

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter: @t_seaward