A London magistrate, Purshotam Dhillon, 59, has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his involvement in a drug supply operation spanning heroin and crack cocaine distribution in the capital. Dhillon provided a facade of respectability by allowing gang leader Hardeep Thind to use his residence in Hounslow, west London, as a hub for drug activities, storing illicit substances and money at the location.
Dhillon, who presided over courts in Ealing, Feltham, and Uxbridge, facilitated Thind in maintaining the “Hadi” drug line, which peddled heroin and crack cocaine while Thind was incarcerated. Alongside Dhillon, Thind, known as Harry Singh, received a 12-year prison term, while two accomplices, Bikramjit Brar and Leandrea Lynch, were sentenced to three years and four months, and a two-and-a-half-year suspended sentence, respectively.
Following a comprehensive investigation, Detective Inspector Mark Gavin from the Met’s Specialist Crime unit stated that the operation dismantled a well-established criminal network responsible for distributing significant amounts of class A drugs across London, potentially causing severe harm to communities. Dhillon’s abuse of his position as a magistrate exemplifies that legal consequences apply to all individuals engaging in criminal activities, regardless of their status.
The Metropolitan Police initiated an inquiry into the “Hadi” drug line in January 2024, pinpointing Thind as the pivotal figure. Despite serving a 17-year sentence for drug-related offenses and possessing a firearm, Thind orchestrated operations from prison using a mobile phone and expanded his criminal enterprise upon release in October 2024. Dhillon, identified as a key associate due to his drug addiction, collaborated with Brar in drug distribution, while Lynch acted as a courier.
The arrest of the quartet in coordinated police raids on July 1 last year revealed Dhillon’s complicity, as a van linked to Thind and containing a substantial quantity of heroin was found parked outside Dhillon’s residence. Police seized drugs valued at £174,000 and uncovered evidence of drug packaging within Dhillon’s home. Singh and Brar admitted guilt to two counts of involvement in supplying class A drugs, while Dhillon and Lynch were convicted of the same charges post-trial.
