Kent man Elias Bally-Balogun jailed for involvement in county lines cocaine and heroin dealing in Portsmouth

Elias Bally-Balogun, of Fort Pitt Street in Chatham, appeared at Portsmouth Crown Court on Friday (19 April) having previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of crack cocaine and heroin, as well as acquiring or possessing criminal property. The court heard how Bally-Balogun was arrested by Portsmouth’s Priority Crime Team whilst attempting to set up a drugs line called ‘Max’ in the city, which was identified by officers as being a county line. County lines drug supply is the trafficking of drugs from London into smaller cities and towns across the UK.

Bally-Balogun’s five year sentence comes as a result of a “complex and thorough” investigation into his offences, committed in June and July 2022 and September 2023.

The court was told how officers on proactive patrol in Portsmouth in September 2023 spotted Bally-Balugen engaging in what they suspected to be drug-related activity in the Wimpole Court and Australia Close areas. He was arrested and a subsequent investigation found that he was involved in the supply of Class A drugs across the city.

Detective inspector Claire Ratcliffe said: “The supply of drugs, particularly Class A drugs, causes massive harm to our communities. As well as the damage it can cause to the life of the person taking them, the production and supply of drugs brings with it organised crime, serious violence, knife and firearms possession and the exploitation of vulnerable adults and children. Bally-Balogun was an influential link in Portsmouth’s supply chain which has now been broken as a result of this sentence. This investigation is just one example of the work we do day in, day out, to disrupt drug supply in our city.

“I urge anyone with information about drug related activity in their neighbourhood to report it to us so that we can continue targeting and disrupting those responsible.”

For more information about county lines drug dealing and how to spot the signs, you can visit: www.hampshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/cl/county-lines/.

 To report information you can call 101, visit our website or call the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111. You can also visit their website at www.crimestoppers-uk.org.