EastEnders teen arrested for supplying drugs after hospital tragedy

Tonight’s episode of EastEnders proved to be full of drama as teenager Denzel Danes (Jaden Ladega) was led away in handcuffs after being arrested and charged with supplying class C drugs.

The arrest comes after last night’s (Wednesday) episode, in which Nugget was rushed to hospital after taking performance-enhancing steroids given to him by pal Denzel. When doctors revealed Nugget’s kidneys were not responding to treatment and he might need long-term dialysis, Denzel visited him and admitted to Ravi and Priya that he had supplied Nugget with the drugs.

After Ravi reported him to the police, tonight’s episode (Thursday) showed Denzel arrested for supplying Nugget with drugs. After police burst through the Danes’ front door, the officer told Kim and Howie: “We have arrested Denzel on suspicion of supplying a Class C controlled substance to a minor under Section 18 of the Police and Evidence Act 1984. We have the power to search the property,” he said.

Shocked, Kim replied: “No, Denzel is not a drug dealer. This has to be some kind of joke. You should be ashamed of yourselves. So much brutality for a school kid, and when it comes to serious matters, you drag it out for weeks. I’m telling you right now, you have the wrong boyfriend.”

But a police officer emerged from Denzel’s room with evidence in a plastic bag. At the police station, Denzel called Zack Hudson to be his adult guardian during the interview and told police, “They were just these online influencers. They did fitness stuff to help with gains and stuff like that. They never said it was illegal,” he said.

When police asked if he gave steroids to Nugget, Denzel replied, “Yes, but I didn’t make any money off of it. I can show you the links I used and the DMs I got from these guys, pretending that everyone was using them and that they were completely safe. Now Nugget is in the hospital.”

After the interview, Nugget met with his parents, and Zach told them, “He’s going to be released while they talk about the juvenile warning. If all goes well and the warning is approved, he won’t have to face any more charges.” A relieved Kim then told Denzel he was a “dumb boy,” before pulling him in for a big hug.

Later at home, Howie spilled the beans to Denzel, telling the family, “I’m glad my son isn’t a drug dealer. He’s not stupid enough to do it. But he’s stupid enough to pump steroids into his body.”

When Denzel insisted that he would no longer take steroids and that it was “not a problem,” Howie responded, “It is a problem! We’re going to the hospital to get you checked out by a doctor because what you did was reckless and irresponsible.”

EastEnders is available from Monday to Thursday at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.