A grime artist will be sentenced after leading a drug county lines route from east London.

Asfa Allen, 32, of Pegasus Way, Gillingham, Kent had been the organiser for at least four county lines routes out of London.

It ran into the home counties using lower-level gang members to facilitate his supply chains starting from Hackney.

Following an eight-week trial at Blackfriars Crown Court, Allen was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs via a county lines network.

Akwasi Kwateng, 24, of Lindisfarne Way, E9, was also found guilty of the same offence.

They will be sentenced in September this year, along with four other men who have already pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs through a county lines network.

They include Kai Lye, 28, of Barlow House, Provost Estate, Hackney; Donovan Corbett, 22, of Lockgate Close, Hackney; Bradley Fapolnle, 33, of Great Galley Close, Barking and Denzel Nimoh, 20, from Coventry

All six were convicted under Operation Halmist – a proactive operation established by the Mets Specialist Crime North.

It's objective was to disrupt organised Class A drug distribution routes into county forces, focusing in east London.

During the trial, the court heard police executed 15 warrants across London and the Home Counties, resulting in £25,000 in cash and approximately half a kilogram of heroin being seized.

This happened in the early hours of 12 December 2017, following months of investigations.

Fifiteen people were arrested as part of these raids. The six found guilty were charged on 13th December 2018.

Phones and laptops including key evidence linking the suspects to active county lines, expensive designer footwear and vehicles were also seized.

Detective Inspector Dave Williams, from Specialist Crime North said: “Allen, who also went by the stage name ‘ASCO’ had landed a successful and lucrative recording contract with a major label where he could have left his life of crime and violence behind.

“However, he could not release his grip on running a county lines route and will now be spending time behind bars instead of working on his music.

“Drug dealing is inextricably linked to the violence we have seen across the Capital.

“I hope today’s conviction reassures communities that we do take action and highlights our ongoing commitment to bearing down on county lines criminality.”