A drug dealer, street named ‘Older Troubz', has been convicted of supplying drugs to Croydon’s gangs has been jailed.

Hamid Baballa, 26, was caught in his Thornton Heath home last year with three carrier bags full of cannabis, a gold Rolex watch and £4,500 in cash.

He was sentenced on May 3 to seven years' for possession of an offence weapon, possession with intent to supply a class B and possession of ammunition.

The arrest came after Thornton Heath safer neighbourhoods teams identified Baballa as a potential dealer because of the company he kept with known gang members.

Police said they found he was dealing from his ground floor flat in Woodville Road, Thornton Heath and a search warrant was granted to raid the premises.

After the arrest intelligence came back that the Sudanese born national was hiding a firearm at the flat and a second search of the flat uncovered a revolver hidden in a bandanna.

PC David Smailes from the territorial police gangs unit said: “This was a pretty serious, successful hit.

"Croydon, working with its partners in the council and with both the local and central intelligence units were able to piece together his movements and successfully arrest and convict him."

As Baballa was in council housing he was immediately removed and told he would not be rehoused by the council.

PC Fred Morgan of the Thornton Heath SNT said: “We came across this man and after watching him for a while we were sure that through the company he was keeping he was up to no good.

"His property stank of cannabis so we began an operation to see what he was up to.”