Mansfield man among 22-strong drugs gang jailed for a total of more than 200 years

The national network was discovered after Nottinghamshire Police recovered 111 kilograms of amphetamine in a raid at a house in Radford in October 2017.

The drugs involved in the plot could have been sold for up to £60m on the street.

A police investigation revealed the operation was co-ordinated out of Leicestershire, with ‘main stash sites and supply routes’ in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and the West Midlands.

Following the initial warrant in Nottinghamshire, 20kg of cannabis was also seized from boxes in a car in Derby, leading to 189kg of anabolic steroid hexadrone being recovered in heat-sealed bags stuffed in six suitcases at a storage unit in the city.

Two months later, 35kg of cocaine – some of which had been branded with ‘K Crown’ stamps – was seized from a van at Sandbach Services, north of Stoke-on-Trent.

More cocaine was recovered from a house in Willenhall in Wolverhampton. At the same site 100kg of powerful sedative ketamine, kept in boxes marked as shoes, was recovered.

The investigation identified the organised crime group handled more than a tonne of class A and B drugs – 500kg of cocaine and 500kg of amphetamines, cannabis, hexadrone and ketamine – throughout 2017.

Now, 11 people have been sentenced at Leicester Crown Court for their role in the conspiracy, following the sentencing of 11 others previously.

Those sentenced include 44-year-old Daniel Henry, of Jennison Street, Mansfield.

He was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work after admitting conspiracy to supply class B drugs.

‘Major conspiracy’

Detective Inspector Nick Hall, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: "This was a huge case for Nottinghamshire Police, as it led to a major drugs conspiracy being unearthed, with the gang bringing a tonne of dangerous drugs into the UK.

"They would have benefited by tens of millions of pounds from the enterprise with no thought to the incredible damage the drugs would cause to communities across the country.

“This investigation has had a huge impact in taking a huge amount of drugs off the streets, but also the people involved – from the ones at the top pulling the strings to bring the drugs into the country, to those on the streets supplying the final product, and everything in between.

"Nottinghamshire Police is fully committed to tackling drugs and protecting people from the serious harm it causes, from the serious violence street gangs enact on the streets in turf wars to the robberies, burglaries and theft that drug dependency can lead to – not to mention the health impacts.

"Intelligence plays a major part in the war on drugs and I would encourage anyone who suspects drugs activity in their neighbourhoods to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101 so we can take action to keep their communities safe."

Efforts to identify and seize money or other assets gained from the crimes are under way under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.