Coventry drug dealer jailed for aiding Vodafone store robberies in Reading
Tawana Tafirenyika sentenced for supplying drugs and acting as a decoy
A drug dealer from Coventry has been sentenced for over three years for supplying crack cocaine and heroin around Reading and aiding attempted robberies at two Vodafone stores.
Tawana Tafirenyika, 22, of Hill Road, Keresley End, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs and counts of attempted robbery.
Officers carrying out a proactive operation in Reading on 7th May 2025 observed suspicious activity leading to Tafirenyika's detention after he tried to flee on foot.
Wraps of crack cocaine and heroin were recovered during the chase, along with cash and a mobile phone linked to the drugs in forensic examination.
Two weeks later, a suspected drug deal was observed on Goldsmid Road where Tafirenyika attempted to escape on a bicycle before being detained. Officers found cash, a mobile phone, a drugs line number, and three grams of crack cocaine concealed on him.
Investigators linked Tafirenyika to attempted robberies at Vodafone stores in London on 27th June 2025.
At a store in Chiswick, he posed as a customer before accomplices entered, threatened staff, and fled when police were alerted.
The same day, three men entered a Vodafone store in Sutton, threatening staff, intimating possession of a knife, and again leaving empty-handed.
Investigators found that Tafirenyika acted as a decoy in both incidents to allow his associates to enter the stores.
Tafirenyika was found with a knife when stopped by police in a van connected to the offences the following day.
PC James Dunwell of the Reading Neighbourhood Disruption Team highlighted the serious nature of Tafirenyika's offending and the police's commitment to combat organized crime.
Tafirenyika was sentenced on 28th October at Woolwich Crown Court as part of Thames Valley Police's ongoing Stronghold activity targeting serious organised crime.