A drug dealer armed with a knife was stabbed to death after he went to confront a rival gang as part of a 'county lines' turf war in a Norfolk market town.
David Lawal, 25, was found at a bridge on the A134 Brandon Road in Thetford, where he died from a single stab wound to the neck.
Norwich Crown Court heard Mr Lawal’s death had followed a violent confrontation between him and Amrik Singh, 19, who was part of a second drugs gang involved in supplying class A drugs in Thetford.
Singh, from London, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter on October 3 2019, and appeared at court on Thursday (December 16) for the start of a two-day sentencing hearing.
Oliver Glasgow QC, prosecuting, said Thetford became the focus of a number of London dealers who had decided the market there was "so lucrative it was worth travelling almost 100 miles to supply their poison".
He said these were dealers "who were not prepared to share the potential profits with anyone else and who were prepared to defend their territory from rivals who might otherwise walk away with some of the spoils".
Mr Glasgow said dealers operating as part of the 'Frankie' drugs line were supplying cocaine and heroin in Thetford at the same time as Mr Lawal was dealing drugs as part of his 'Baller' line.
He said: "These two businesses were, therefore, in direct competition with each other; and in direct competition over what was a relatively small, but nonetheless lucrative, market."
He added: "The problem, of course, is such a rivalry could not end peacefully.
"Thus it was that the ‘Frankie’ line and the ‘Baller’ line were destined for conflict and that was to become a violent reality for David Lawal when he was stabbed to death by his rivals on 3 October 2019."
Mr Glasgow said both groups were "ready for violence" with both "ready to do whatever necessary to protect their business".
He said that Mr Lawal and a friend he had recruited, were both armed and "went to the bridge to confront their rivals" and once there "violence broke out".
Mr Lawal was treated at the scene for more than 40 minutes but was pronounced dead at 7.54pm.
Following Singh’s plea to manslaughter, murder charges against Iddi Zito, 19, from East London, Elie Saba, 36, of Ilford, Lisa Desousa, 23, of London, and Cameron Grant, 19, from London were dropped.
Singh also faces a sentence having previously admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Zito, Saba and Desousa, also face sentencing having previously admitted two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Karim Khalil QC, mitigating for Singh, said his client was "quiet and remorseful" after the fatal attack.
He said Mr Lawal and his friend came at him and attacked him with knives leading him to "fear for his life" resulting in him "stabbing out on a single occasion".
Mr Khalil said he had a small knife which he was "willing to use in his own protection in self defence".
He said that Singh was "from the outset the subject of the assault and he reacted to it".
Mr Khalil said his client was 17 at the time of the offence with no previous convictions.
Martin Heslop QC, mitigating for Sabba, said he had indicated he would plead guilty to the drugs charge as early as May 2020.
He said Sabba although having a leading role was "not top of the tree" and had "assisted others in the running of this line".
Rochelle Collins, mitigating for Zito, said he should be given credit for his guilty pleas and had performed a "limited role".
She said he was a man of previous good character who was 17 at the time of the offence, but is now 18.
Judge Alice Robinson adjourned the sentencing hearing until Friday (December 17).
Amjad Malik QC, mitigating for DeSousa, will make his submissions on behalf of his client when the case resumes on Friday (December 17).
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