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On January 22, 2024, Channel 4 aired a rerun of the takedown of a major drug racket and its ringleader, Kane Lee, in their scintillating police procedural documentary, 24 Hours in Police Custody.
The drug ring was known by its moniker "The Kane Line," which is a nod to its method of selling drugs using a phone number. It was busted in 2017, following a massive six-month probe, after reportedly peddling £100k of class-A drugs each week to its customers.
Nine men and three boys were eventually arrested and charged with several offenses, including conspiracy to supply Class-A drugs, supplying Class-A drugs, and possession. Kane Lee was sentenced to eight years in prison for conspiracy to supply Class-A drugs.
Kane Lee's girlfriend, Joanne McCarthy, who was also associated with him, was a former social worker. She is seen being interrogated by the police in 24 Hours in Police Custody.
Joanne McCarthy, Kane Lee's girlfriend, was a former social worker
Joanne McCarthy, Kane Lee's girlfriend, was a former social worker employed by Napo, which is "a trade union and professional association representing thousands of members working in probation and family courts."
According to the Napo website, Joanne McCarthy, formerly known as Joanne McGovern, was a social worker who worked with the Youth Justice Team. In 2013, she was fired due to "an inappropriate relationship with a client."
In an editorial in the Mirror, she was incorrectly identified as a former probation officer, which brought a lot of backlash to the NPS. Therefore, Napo put out a statement on their website in 2018, stating that McCarthy was formerly employed by them.
Joanna McCarthy was also allegedly in Kane Lee's house when it was swarmed by police. According to the Mirror, a forensic analysis of her phone revealed deleted text messages sent between the couple.
The police also discovered a machete in Kane Lee's home, which McCarthy claimed was used to "cut down trees in the garden." The police reported her as saying:
“You’re going on like Kane’s some mastermind criminal. Kane can’t iron his own clothes”
She was later brought in for questioning, as seen in the 24 Hours in Police Custody episode.
Ten search warrants were executed simultaneously to bring down The Kane Line
24 Hours in Police Custody delved deep into the nitty-gritty of the six-month sting operation that ran between September 2016 and March 2017, to bring down The Kane Line and its ringleader, Kane Lee. According to Luton Today, the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) worked alongside Bedfordshire Police to use 10 simultaneous search warrants to decimate the 12-person gang.
According to The Sun, Assistant Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst said that the drug ring "made a lot of money and caused a lot of harm." Detective Inspector Andy Duddle of ERSOU said:
''This was a highly organised drugs supply gang, whose criminality would have had far-reaching, damaging effects on many vulnerable people within our society. This is made all the more concerning by the fact that children were recruited into this criminal ring. Drugs ruin lives and contribute to crime and anti-social behaviour, causing significant danger and disruption to neighbourhoods."
Kane Lee was sentenced to prison for eight years in the Luton Crown Court in June 2017. His street dealer, Luke Hammond, was reportedly sentenced to three years.
The 24 Hours in Police Custody episode chronicling the investigation into The Kane Line first aired six years ago in May 2018. As mentioned earlier, a re-run of the episode was telecast on Monday, January 22 on Channel 4.
