A ‘county lines’ drug baron and his girlfriend accomplice led a life of luxury as they flooded Wiltshire with crack cocaine and heroin, a court heard.
Linford Goode, 32 and Sara Kokot, 31, ran the ‘Frank Line’ operation dealing to over 800 customers in the Swindon and Marlborough areas from a base in London.
Goode was out on licence from a ten year dealing sentence when he starting selling drugs again with Bosnian born Kokot, who fled to the UK from Sarajevo as a child in 1992.
Linford Goode, 32, ran the ‘Frank Line’ operation dealing to over 800 customers in the Swindon and Marlborough areas from a base in London. He was jailed for 19 years. His girlfriend Sara Kokot, 31, right, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years’ in prison
Tiffany Smart, 27, from Swindon, left, was jailed for eight years, while her co-accused Sean Smith, 30, from Wiltshire was imprisoned for six years
When officers raided his home he was found in possession of a £21,000 Rolex watch and £20,000 in cash.
The couple travelled to Swindon from London in luxury cars on more than twenty occasions to keep an eye the business they ran with Tiffany Smart, 27, Dean Black, 50, Scott Cadder, 33, and Shaun Smith, 30,
Smart was the manager of the local dealers and hosted Goode and Kokot each time they visited to collect their profits and resupply the operation.
Cadder, Black, and Smith operated as local drug dealers for the gang in Swindon and Marlborough.
Black, based in Marlborough, used the Frank Line as a wholesaler, selling £1,000 of drugs per week.
Cadder sold drugs out of his home in East Swindon until he was jailed for knife possession in July 2019.
Smith had worked as a dealer but was fired after stealing either drugs or money from the gang.
James Browne, prosecuting, said: ‘The Frank Line had hundreds of addicts using it and it was the most popular line in the area.
‘It was fairly described as an industrial scheme which was ensuring a steady stream of cocaine and heroin to addicts in Swindon and Marlborough.’
Goode had a £55,000 car in addition to his Rolex and kept the £20,000 as working capital in a safe in his house.
‘Linford Goode was obviously the overall controller of the Frank Line, an experienced dealer he had operated this kind of scheme before and was personally in receipt of the rewards,’ Mr Browne said.
Kokot drove Goode to Swindon on each of his visits and had a previous conviction for possession of ammunition without a certificate.
Scott Cadder, 33, from Swindon, left, was jailed for seven-and-a-half years, while Dean Black, 50, from Wiltshire, right, was sentenced to seven years and eight months in jail
He said:’ On June 6 of 2017 she entered a plea of guilty for possession of ammunition without a certificate related to the finding of a single round of ammunition in a plant pot related to the discovery of a male at her address involved in a much more serious offence.
‘The term of imprisonment was one of 12 months, it is not possible to say she was in licence during the indictment period.’
The man found at Kokot’s address in that offence was her previous boyfriend Robert Lewis, then 41, who robbed Sir Philip Green’s half naked daughter-in-law of £2 million worth of jewellery at her £18 million home by Lord’s cricket ground.
Lewis broke into the home and threatened Magda Palos, 37, as she was getting out of the shower wrapped in just a towel.
Mrs Palos – wife of Sir Philip’s stepson, Brett Palos – was subjected to a terrifying ten minute ordeal in the presence of her six-year-old daughter.
Lewis brandished a pair of 12-inch wire cutters to make her hand over the watches and other valuables after forcing his way in through a window on 10 December 2016.
The robber had been led into the woman’s bedroom and ensuite bathroom by her six-year-old daughter and was holding the wire cutters above her head as he entered.
Police attempted to arrest Lewis days after the raid on December 29, 2016.
He sped away from police cars in a C-Class Mercedes and tried to lose their tail on icy roads. He lost control on Gorst Road, Park Royal, and T-boned a £70,000 Tesla.
Lewis managed to stumble out of his mangled vehicle and when the police officers tried to stop him he waved a MAC-10 machine pistol at them.
The offices dropped to the floor in fear of their lives and Lewis ran off.
The driver of the Tesla was left shaken but unharmed.
Lewis was arrested at Sara Kokot’s flat on Cathnor Road, Shepherd’s Bush on 13 January of last year.
Goode from Notting Hill, Kokot from Shepherd’s Bush, Cadder from East Swindon, and Smith from Burbage, each denied but were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Smart of Mistletoe Court, South Swindon, Black of Orchard Close, Marlborough, both admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh told the dealers: ‘The trade in class “A” drugs feeds addiction and crime.
Linford Goode’s girlfriend Sara Kokot, pictured, took a photograph of herself carrying one of her boyfriend’s firearms
‘It exploits the vulnerable, wrecks lives, destroys families, and leads to misery and early deaths.
‘Those who engage in that vile trade can expect a very substantial sentence.
‘This was a County Lines operation as they have come to be known.
‘This was a determined conspiracy run from London and targeting Swindon and Marlborough, no doubt because the competition from other drug dealers was seen as less and they were seen as a soft target.’
Turning to Goode he said: ‘You are a man who seems incapable of changing your ways.
‘There is no doubt whatsoever that you were in a leading role.’
Goode of Mary Place, Notting Hill, was jailed for 19 years.
Kokot of Shepherd’s Bush, was jailed for eight and a half years.
Cadder of Fairfax Close, East Swindon was jailed for seven and a half years.
Smith of Bourne way, Burbage, was jailed for six years.
Smart of Mistletoe Court, South Swindon was jailed for eight years.
Black of Orchard Close, Marlborough, was jailed for seven years and eight months.
The total sentence for all six defendants was one of 56 years and 8 months.
Kokot Shepherd’s Bush, was jailed for eight and a half years
DC Claire Gentles from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: ‘This gang have been handed down significant jail sentences, illustrating just how seriously the courts treat county lines offences. We know that drug dealing is closely linked with violence on our streets and we will deal robustly with those who seek to sell drugs and target vulnerable individuals within our communities for financial gain.
‘This case highlights the benefits of collaborative working between police across force borders and is a particularly successful example of a trial involving the gang leaders in London and local members of the drug gang.”
DI Paul Franklin, from Wiltshire Police’s Dedicated Crime Team, said: ‘This was a very successful joint operation between Wiltshire Police and The Met along with the support of the Crown Prosecution Service.
‘County Lines gangs from big cities are a real problem which is closer to home than some people might think. Wiltshire may seem like a quiet, leafy county but the reality is that some young and vulnerable people living in our communities are being exploited by these gangs who get them to do their dirty work.
‘Also, the people purchasing the drugs, who are often vulnerable themselves, regularly commit crime to fund their habit. It’s a spiral we want to help them break.’