Angelo Jardim
Angelo Jardim organised chemsex parties on Grindr Metropolitan Police

KEY POINTS

  • Angelo Jardim sold drugs to large numbers of men.
  • Police raided his Lambeth home and found his stash.
  • The Portugese man also had £13,000 in cash.

A "prominent" dealer on London's chemsex scene has been jailed for almost 10 years as the Metropolitan Police claimed they were making real gains against the emerging subculture.

Angelo Jardim, 49, organised drug-fuelled gay orgies in the capital using the dating app Grindr.

Police raided his Lambeth home after in September 2017 after an intelligence-led operation, seizing large quantities of class A and class C drugs along with £13,000 ($18,000) in cash.

Chemsex parties see groups of people having sex for hours, sometimes days, while under the influence of hard drugs.

"Previously, a lot of Chemsex scene criminals were going under the radar, and not being detected," said PC Francis Stanton.

"However we are making significant headway in the way we catch these criminals. Not only do they break the law by dealing drugs, but they also have a negative impact on families and communities, by getting people addicted to illegal substances," he added.

Jardim pleaded guilty to six counts of possession with intent to supply Class A, B and C drugs on 20 February. He was jailed for nine years and ten months the following day.

The Portuguese man was "a prominent member of the Chemsex scene – organising parties and selling drugs to a large amount of men he met of the dating app, Grindr," Stanton said.

The government's 2017 Drug Strategy made explicit reference to the "serious physical and mental health risks" for those who attend chemsex parties.