Shirebrook drug lord and partner-in-crime girlfriend jailed for cocaine conspiracy

Thomas Carlisle and Melissa Mikosz worked alongside others supplying cocaine to recreational users in north Derbyshire during a two-year conspiracy.

Derby Crown Court heard Carlisle’s group supplied four kilograms of the drug in an organised ‘retail enterprise’ between 2018 and 2020.

Shirebrook-based conspiracy director Carlisle, aged 28, used partner Mikosz and another girlfriend Georgia Vincent to launder the proceeds – funnelling cash through their bank accounts.

Jonathan Cox, prosecuting, said such was the scale of the operation one of Carlisle’s dealers reported selling ‘18 deals a day’ while Mikosz was said to have ‘headed out with 35 deals’ on one occasion.

Mr Cox said Carlisle was assisted ‘in a number of ways’ by Mikosz and 23-year-old Vincent, who was significantly younger than him at the time.

Vincent, who was jailed for four years last week, received £25,000 of Carlisle's drug money into her bank account while sending him new customers and taking part in street dealing herself.

Mikosz, 30, who sent a text to Carlisle saying ‘we can go out tomorrow and smash the sales’ established a ‘drug line’ for him, enabling him to distance himself from the operation.

While nearly £60,000 was seized from her bank account.

The court heard cocaine was stored and used at the address she shared with her young son – which was raided by police on three separate occasions.

During a public row with the girlfriend of a co-conspirator, Mikosz encouraged her young son to ‘punch’ the other woman’s son and was seen ‘swerving’ around the 12-year-old boy in her car, shouting: “I’m going to punch your mum’s head in.”

During her arrest, she attempted to headbutt an officer.

Mikosz, of Church Drive, Shirebrook, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine, possession of criminal property and converting criminal property.

She was also convicted of a July 2020 assault by bodily harm charge, in which she threw a half-pint glass at a woman’s face in a pub, and assaulting a police officer.

Jailing sobbing Mikosz for seven years and three months today, the judge told her: “You were involved in a relationship with Carlisle. I am satisfied this not just a case of you lending your bank account to him.

“Text messages demonstrated you were a willing and enthusiastic participant. You offered to go out and smash the sales as you put it.

“You had a lavish lifestyle and enjoyed that lifestyle. You went on holidays (with Carlisle) and bought your son a £2,000 Christmas present.

“It’s quite plain on a number of occasions your address was visited by police – that did not deter you.

“You seemed prepared to put your son in a position where he was present during police raids – you encouraged your son to attack another.”

Carlisle, also of Church Drive, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and converting criminal property.

Jailing Carlisle for 11 years and three months, the judge told him: “You were party to a prolific organisation - you were the head of day-to-day supply.

“You organised things and ensured that people did as they should – you had a dedicated drug line and there were multiple traffickers.”