A secretive teen who made thousands of pounds pushing drugs in the City and its surrounds tried to give police a fake name when he was caught in the act.
Eliot Inskip of Harberton Road, Islington, was jailed when he appeared at the Old Bailey last week. The 18-year-old was handed a six-month sentence for one charge of possession with intent to supply a class B drug (cannabis resin) and two months respectively for two counts of possession of class A drugs (cocaine and MDMA), as well as possessing criminal property. The terms will run concurrently.
Phone records revealed how Inskip, who pleaded guilty to all charges, kept his drug-dealing hidden from his family, who believed he was “broke” despite him having £5,000 stashed away in a wooden safe in his bedroom. He also told a friend of his plans to invest in real estate with the proceeds of his illegal trade. In one text, he wrote: “ill miss out on at least a grand and I’m trying to save for a yard atm,”.
When questioned by the same friend he bragged he “easily [makes] 100-200 a day” but admitted “every week is different”. Text messages also show that Inskip had thought about how he would tell his parents he had bought a house after leading them to believe he had no money. “Oh I know someone who has a business and they’re gonna say I work for them so my moneys gonna be legal,”.
Inskip was detained by City of London Police detectives shortly after picking up two packages, containing a dark green mushroom-like substance, from a City collection facility. Initially, he attempted to give a false name to the officers before admitting his true identity. Detectives from the City of London Police searched Inskip’s address and found evidence of large scale drug dealing.
Along with the cannabis resin and smaller amounts of cocaine and MDMA, officers also seized various items of drug paraphernalia, including scales, snap bags and vacuum sealing machines. The majority of items were found in a locked wooden safe in his bedroom. Officers report that the £5,000 stash was separated out into £100 bundles. Later analysis revealed that the parcels Inskip collected were found not to contain any illegal substance.
Detective Constable Tom Hayball said: “Although it transpired that the packages Inskip collected were not an illegal substance, this alerted us to his activity. “Inskip’s phone provided valuable evidence detailing the supply of drugs, how organised the supply chain was, and how he is supplying to those who would then sell his drugs. Inskip was one step up from a street dealer.
“Drugs ruin lives and the City of London Police will do all we can to bring those involved in the drug trade before the courts.”
