A drug dealer who used the alias ‘R Kelly’ was cau

A drug dealer who used the alias ‘R Kelly’ was caught with a police handgun, a cartridge of bullets and a handful of rocks of crack cocaine, a court heard.

O’Neil Higgins, 30, and accused cohort Michael Fearon, 23, were caught after a raid by Operation Trident detectives.

Drug dealing tools, like scales, razors and cling film, were also recovered from Fearon’s rented room at the home of an unsuspecting family.

Both men claim they know nothing about the drugs and firearms despite DNA evidence allegedly linking them to the cache.

Inner London Crown Court heard how Fearon, who went by the street name Tiger, was pulled over by police in Brixton after an officer recognised him in connection with a separate incident.

Officers asked for identification and after making a quick call on his mobile, Higgins – who used the alias of the R&B superstar – came running round the corner brandishing Fearon’s passport.

But suspicious detectives arrested Fearon and took him to Brixton Police Station for questioning on May 9 this year.

During interview he gave his address as St Lawrence Way, Brixton, where he said he rented a room.

Officers from Operation Trident – the Met’s initiative against black-on-black crime – travelled straight to the address to carry out a search.

The landlord let them in and showed them to Fearon’s bedroom where they found Higgins, a Jamaican national, with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

After officers forcibly removed his clenched fists from his tracksuit bottoms they found he was hiding 10 rocks of crack cocaine in his palms.

The detectives then carried out a further search of the house.

Tom Nicholson-Pratt, prosecuting, said: ‘Inside the bedroom there was a set of scales, a razor blade, a plastic bag containing packs of cling film and a quantity of cash.

‘The rest of the property was searched and by the kitchen officers found a yellow role of carpet, which when unrolled revealed a blue plastic bag.

‘Inside that bag was a hand gun that had a magazine in it with a number of ammo rounds.

‘There was pnds stlg 710 in cash and wrapped in cling film were more rocks of crack cocaine and heroin.

‘

Higgins was arrested and the goods were seized.

Both men’s DNA was allegedly found either on or inside the blue plastic bag.

The court was told that an ex-girlfriend of Fearon made a police statement to say she saw the two men cutting up the drugs and selling them on.

The woman, referred to simply as Monica, also told officers of an occasion when she saw Fearon and others while they were handling a number of guns.

Investigating officers also discovered Fearon had been making regular payments through a money transfer service back to his home country of Jamaica between October 2002 and May 2003.

Mr Nicholson-Pratt added: ‘Both these men were engaged in a conspiracy, an arrangement to supply class A drugs.

‘

Fearon, (58) St Lawrence Way, and Higgins, of (2) Shakespeare Road, Brixton, both deny one charge of conspiracy to supply a controlled drug, two charges of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply, one charge of possession of a prohibited firearm and one charge of possession of ammunition without a firearms certificate.

Higgins denies a further charge of possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.

The trial continues.

ends