Over £43,000 in criminal property — this wasn't just hand-to-hand.
A jury at Southampton Crown Court has found two men guilty of supplying crack cocaine and heroin into the city, concluding a case rooted in events from December 2022.
Obbina Ekezie, 25, from Houghton Avenue in Hempstead, Gillingham, and Leroy Wilson-Cole, 36, of Lever Street, London, both stood in the dock as the verdicts were read. The jury found each of them guilty of being concerned with the supply of crack cocaine and heroin in Southampton on December 5, 2022.
The charges against Ekezie went further than supply alone. He was also convicted of acquiring, using, or possessing criminal property — specifically £8,315 in cash — and of transferring criminal property amounting to £35,124. The financial charges paint a picture of someone embedded not just in street-level dealing but in the movement of money that follows it.
Wilson-Cole faced a similar but narrower set of charges. He too was convicted on the criminal property count involving £8,315, alongside the core supply offence. Both men arrived at court carrying bags, a detail noted during proceedings.
A third man, Matthew Carty, 27, of Brighton Road in Lewes, East Sussex, did not stand trial alongside the other two but will be sentenced with them at Southampton Crown Court. No date for that sentencing hearing has been set.
The trial also included a fourth defendant, Habeeb Omisore, 37, of Neville Close, London. After the jury deliberated, Omisore was acquitted on every count and left the court without any conviction recorded against him.
The case now moves toward sentencing, with three men awaiting the court's judgment on what penalties they will face. The scheduling of that hearing will be the next development to watch.
Notable Quotes
Omisore was acquitted on all counts and walked from the court a free man.— Southampton Crown Court proceedings
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What's the core of this case — is it about street dealing or something more organised?
Both, really. The supply charges point to street-level distribution, but the financial counts against Ekezie — over £43,000 in criminal property — suggest this wasn't just hand-to-hand transactions.
What does it mean to be 'concerned with' supply rather than simply charged with supplying?
It's a broader legal framing. It captures people who play a role in the supply chain without necessarily being the one handing drugs over directly — organising, facilitating, being part of the operation.
The money figures are striking. What do they tell us?
The £35,124 transfer charge in particular suggests funds moving through Ekezie's hands at a scale that goes beyond personal use or small-scale dealing. It implies infrastructure.
One defendant walked free. Does that change how we read the case?
It's a reminder that a jury weighs each person individually. Omisore stood trial on the same charges and was acquitted on all of them — the evidence simply didn't meet the threshold for him.
Why is Matthew Carty being sentenced with the other two if he wasn't tried with them?
The article doesn't explain the procedural reason, but it's not unusual for sentencing to be consolidated when defendants are connected to the same underlying offence, even if their court journeys differed.
What happens next?
A sentencing date still needs to be set. That's when the court will weigh the convictions and decide what punishment fits — for Ekezie, Wilson-Cole, and Carty together.