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Police saw Rochester builder Keith Constable hand over 700k worth of cocaine to London man Bradley Brooke-Porter in Strood carpark

A failed businessman and a young father have been jailed for a total of more than 17 years after they were caught with a large amount cocaine.

Police swooped as builder Keith Constable handed over a large bag to Bradley Brooke-Porter containing almost 5kg of the drug worth more than £706,000 on the street.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Constable, 50, resorted to drug dealing after his business collapsed and Brooke-Porter, 27, became involved as a courier to pay off a debt.

Bradley Brooke-Porter's defence said he had no idea of the quantity of drugs he was picking up
Bradley Brooke-Porter's defence said he had no idea of the quantity of drugs he was picking up

Constable, of Longley Road, Rochester, was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison and Brooke-Porter, of Flintmill Crescent, Blackheath, south east London, to six years and nine months.

Officers were keeping watch on December 8 last year as Constable pulled into a Tesco service station in Gravesend Road, Strood, in his van and Brooke-Porter arrived in his car.

"He is a businessman and family man who fell on hard times" - John Fitzgerald, for Constable

Prosecutor Ed Connell said they drove to a dark area of the car park. Constable then passed Brooke-Porter a holdall containing wrapped packages.

Police arrested them as they were about to drive off. The bag was seized from the footwell of Brooke-Porter’s Vauxhall Zafira.

Constable at first claimed he knew nothing about the drugs and said he was meeting someone to price up a building job.

Mr Connell said: “In interview, he gave an entirely false account.”

Brooke-Porter – who was recently given custody of his daughter – claimed he had been asked to collect a bag of cash.

But Constable’s fingerprint was found on a carrier bag in the holdall and drug traces were discovered at a lock-up container he rented on the Medway City Estate.

Keith Constable of Longley Road, Rochester, has been jailed after being caught with a large amount cocaine
Keith Constable of Longley Road, Rochester, has been jailed after being caught with a large amount cocaine

He was also seen on CCTV collecting the red holdall from the container shortly before his arrest.

Mr Connell said the cocaine, at 71% purity, had a wholesale value of £207,500 but when cut down to 20% for street dealing it was worth £706,440. He said: “It involved selling on a commercial scale for substantial financial gain.”

Neither had previous convictions for drugs offences.

“This was wholesale trafficking of very pure cocaine” - Judge Charles Macdonald QC

Judge Charles Macdonald QC said Constable had a leading role as he was involved in selling the drugs and close to the source.

He said: “I rely on the fact you packaged the drugs and had them at your industrial unit for several months.”

The judge told Brooke-Porter: “I am sure you were well aware of the scale of the operation but you were a courier in the Medway Towns as directed.”

He told both men, who admitted conspiracy to supply a Class A drug: “This was wholesale trafficking of very pure cocaine.”

John Fitzgerald, for Constable, said his client had been a successful businessman in this country and then in Spain but the economic downturn was particularly severe there and his business failed.

Mr Fitzgerald said: “His wife left and he returned to the UK with very little. Hard times led him to gambling and debt.

He was given an opportunity to pay off a debt of about £600 by becoming involved in this enterprise.”

Judge Charles Macdonald QC
Judge Charles Macdonald QC

Mr Fitzgerald submitted Constable was not playing a leading role, adding: “He took some drugs from A to B on one occasion. There are no links to others in the chain.

“He is by no stretch of the imagination a career criminal or drug dealer or supplier. He is a businessman and family man who fell on hard times.

"Notwithstanding his desolation about his future, he does not sit with his head in his hands.”

“It was coming up to Christmas, he owed £200. He was given the opportunity for the debt to be written off" - Paul Jackson, for Brooke-Porter

Paul Jackson, for Brooke-Porter, said his client had no idea of the quantity of drugs he was picking up. He was to be paid £700, £200 of which was to pay off a debt.

“He acted the way he did out of naivety,” said Mr Jackson. He was recently given custody of his daughter, having split with the mother.

"He injured his back in the middle of last year and was unable to continue to work laying floors.

“Money was tight,” said Mr Jackson. “It was coming up to Christmas, he owed £200. He was given the opportunity for the debt to be written off.

"He regrets it dearly. He has played a lesser role. His mother is looking after his daughter.”

A confiscation hearing will be held after October 26.

Speaking after the hearing, Oliver Higgins, from the National Crime Agency, said: “Had Constable and Brooke-Porter been successful, these high-purity drugs would have ended up being sold on our streets.

“The guilty pleas highlight the quality of the investigation by the National Crime Agency. We will continue to pursue and bring to justice those who supply Class A drugs.”


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