A man from south London who was linked to a firearm before being caught running a county line holding more than £100,000 of Class As has been jailed.

Jermequic Harrison, 30, of the Clapham Road Estate, Peckham, was sentenced to 18 years’ in prison last week, having been convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to possess firearms.

He first came to the attention of police when firearms officer raided an address in Clitterhouse Crescent, Cricklewood, on October 18, 2019.

This Is Local London: The firearm, McLeggan

During the search, a firearm and fourteen rounds of ammunition were recovered. Forensic evidence linked Harrison to the gun.

On January 8, 2020 he was seen leaving an address in Chadwick Road, Slough, where he met his co-defendant Rhianna McLeggan, 27, at her car and was handed a box.

When officers approached him, he dropped the box and ran but was detained nearby and arrested.

A search of the address he had just come from led to the recovery of a significant amount of class A drugs.

The box he had discarded after meeting McLeggan contained a large amount of cutting agent.

During his trial, the court heard evidence from a drugs expert who estimated the seizure to have a street value of just over £108,000.

Phone evidence presented during the trial clearly showed that both defendants were involved in running county lines drug supply.

McLeggan had previously pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and was sentenced to six years' imprisonment

Detective Inspector Dave Williams, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command, said: "This investigation has resulted in lengthy custodial sentences for two dangerous individuals that possessed a firearm and ammunition and supplied class A drugs through a county lines route.

"The links between gun crime and class A drugs, both of which cause significant damage to communities, were shown throughout this trial.

“These sentences will serve as a timely reminder to those that are intent on becoming involved in this type of crime that they can expect to be the subject of focused and meticulous investigations to bring them to justice.

"The judge highlighted the strength of the investigation that led to this case being brought and rightly praised my officers for their tenacity and professionalism."