The Croydon Crown Court, UK, on Thursday sentenced a former magistrate and his fellow members of a highly active drug line known as “Hadi” to a combined 25 years in prison for their involvement in the wholesale supply of heroin and crack cocaine in London between October 2024 and July 2025.

The Metropolitan Police, in a statement on Friday, said the defendants were sentenced to prison after they were found guilty of their involvement in the wholesale supply of heroin and crack cocaine in West London between October 2024 and July 2025.

The judgement followed an investigation undertaken since January 2024 by detectives, who gathered call data records, forensic evidence and phone downloads to identify the suspects. The police added that the group operated multiple drug lines and distributed more than £100,000 worth of drugs.

It read, “A Met Police investigation into a sophisticated west London organised crime network has resulted in four key members – including a serving magistrate – being sentenced to a total of 25 years.

“Detectives pieced together call data records, forensic evidence and phone downloads to identify a group responsible for the wholesale supply of heroin and crack cocaine across London between October 2024 and July 2025. The network operated multiple drug lines and distributed drugs worth over a hundred thousand pounds.”

The police said the court sentenced “Purshotam Dhillon, 59 (01.02.1967), of Lampton Avenue, Hounslow was given seven years’ custodial; Hardeep Thind, 48 (19.12.1977), also known as Harry Singh, of Wentworth Road, Southall was sentenced to 12 years and six months; Bikramjit Brar, 46 (12.03.1979), of Nestles Avenue, Hayes was sentenced to three years and four months; and Leandrea Lynch, 49 (21.04.1977), of Dawley Road, Hayes was sentenced to two years and six months suspended for the same length of time.”

Speaking about the case, Detective Inspector Mark Gavin, from the Met’s Specialist Crime unit, said, “This was a complex and far-reaching investigation that uncovered a well-established organised crime network responsible for supplying significant quantities of Class A drugs across London.

“The team’s extensive work enabled us to identify, disrupt and dismantle a group whose actions would have been causing serious harm to communities. As a serving magistrate, Dhillon abused a position of trust in the most serious way. This case demonstrates that no-one is above the law, and those who engage in criminality will be held accountable. County lines are far more than drug dealing – they exploit the vulnerable and fuel violence. We remain committed to relentlessly pursuing those responsible.”

On Thursday, 3 July 2025, the four defendants were charged with being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, along with further offences, including possession with intent to supply and possession of an offensive weapon.

Mr Singh and Mr Brar pleaded guilty to two counts each of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs, namely cocaine and heroin, while Mr Dhillon and Mr Lynch were convicted of the same offences by unanimous verdicts on May 8, following a trial at Croydon Crown Court.

Officers arrested the defendants on July 1 and carried out searches of their homes, where they seized significant quantities of heroin and crack cocaine, as well as drug packaging materials, digital scales, large amounts of cash, several mobile phones and “tick lists” of drug transactions.

Mr Dhillon, who was a serving magistrate at the time of his arrest, was found to have used his position to facilitate the crimes. He allowed a van linked to Mr Thind, which contained substantial quantities of heroin, to be parked outside his house and permitted drugs to be weighed and packaged inside.

The street value of the drugs seized throughout the operation was estimated at around £174,000.