A Romford rapper who police found was using a mobile phone to direct others to supply drugs in Norwich has been jailed for four years.

Adesola Malomo, 24, from Cromer Road, was arrested in April during Operation Granary, when officers made a series of co-ordinated interventions targeted at ‘county lines’ networks dealing Class A drugs - heroin and crack cocaine - on the streets of the city.

Malomo had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between February 14 and April 17 this year.

Chris Youell, prosecuting, told the court that in April this year, after an undercover officer known as ‘Tommo’ made seven purchases of drugs having called a phone number associated with a ‘county line’, officers managed to locate the phone’s activity to an address in Essex.

On April 16 officers went to the address to arrest Malomo but he jumped out of his first floor window and was arrested after a brief chase, the court heard.

Mr Youell said the defendant had used the phone and was directing people to deal.

The court heard that Malomo had been approached by older gang members who “pressured him into using the phone” and that he had previously been stabbed and beaten up by them.

Malomo said he was given a small amount of cash, as well as cannabis and cocaine, in payment, but was not involved in delivering drugs, the court was told.

Mr Youell said the defendant was “carrying out a middle-management role”.

The court also heard that Maloma has put out rap videos using the name YK on YouTube.

Jotika Kukadia, for Malomo, said that mitigating factors were her client’s remorse and that he accepted his involvement.

Sentencing the man, Judge Andrew Shaw said that controlled drugs “ruin lives” and are “responsible for untold misery”, leading to the commission of criminal offences including burglary, robbery, shoplifting and prostitution, “all to raise money for drugs”.

Judge Shaw said an aggravating factor in the case was that the people supplying the drugs to ‘Tommo’ were vulnerable people.

Mitigating factors were the defendant’s age, his remorse and his co-operation with the police, the court heard.