Men from Ashfield and Bulwell among 15 sentenced over drugs conspiracy

Nottingham Crown Court heard Corey Graham, Andrew Cox and Nathan Sharp controlled the drug lines on behalf of drug kingpin Andrew Fitzgerald and his lieutenants, and that hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin were sold by the group between January 2023 and July 2024.

Through a detailed investigation, detectives discovered and seized further quantities of the Class A drugs. If sold on the streets, these drugs alone - which were a snapshot of the conspiracy - would have netted the drugs gang an estimated £125,000.

In addition to the drug seizures, more than £40,000 in cash plus high-value jewellery items were seized, indicating the proceeds of the OCG’s drug dealing enterprise.

Various weapons including an air pistol, knives and a cross bow with arrows were also discovered by officers executing warrants as part of the investigation.

The conspiracy began to unravel when police seized a mobile phone from one of the group’s suppliers, Tyrone Shand, that identified the bulk purchasing of Class A drugs. Voice notes between Shand and Miller identified Miller sourcing bulk quantities of cocaine and heroin from Shand.

Detectives identified that the OCG were involved in the supply of large volumes of drugs from designated “stash houses”, located in Bulwell and Bestwood and used this information to piece together the criminal gang.

These properties were used to store large quantities of Class A drugs, weapons and cash. From here, they’d deliver the commodities to customers in Nottinghamshire and Skegness.

Multiple warrants were executed at residential properties and detectives were able to seize a plethora of mobile phones containing damning evidence. Other defendants were also convicted after being forensically linked to evidence seized during the investigation.

Two investigations codenamed Operation Ravenclaw and Operation Drawbridge led to 15 defendants being sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday, January 14.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said there could be “no doubt this was a category one conspiracy” and that he was satisfied that “at least 15kg of Class A drugs, perhaps even 20kg, were trafficked by this group”.

He said the group had shown an "utter disregard to the misery and risk of life" the conspiracy gave rise to, adding: “It is clear that the enterprise operated daily and was busy for much of the day. There is evidence to suggest this was a 24-hour a day operation.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, it would have continued to run had it not been dismantled by the police.”

The sentencings included immediate prison terms totalling more than 70 years.

Among those sentenced were Aaron Miller, 35, of Vernon Road, Kirkby. Miller played a leading role by orchestrating and facilitating the purchasing and supply of bulk quantities of Class A drugs for onward supply to a number of drug lines.

Witnessed by police leaving one of the group’s stash houses where a substantial quantity of heroin and crack cocaine were subsequently found during the execution of a warrant. Has previous drug convictions.

Miller pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and was jailed for 11 years.

Nathan Sharp, 34, formerly of Forest Street, Kirkby, acted as a conduit to Miller on behalf of Fitzgerald controlling drug lines in Sutton and Kirkby.

In October 2023, a warrant at his on/off address in Forest Street, Kirkby, found cocaine with a street dealing value worth up to £4,800, with officers also seizing deal bags and £3,150 in cash.

Sharp then went on the run from Nottinghamshire and set up the supply of Class A drugs in Skegness where he was arrested in February 2024. Sharp was sentenced to 40-months imprisonment for drugs supply in Skegness, prosecuted by Lincolnshire Police, with Nottinghamshire Police further arresting him for further offences on August 7, 2024 for the wider drugs conspiracy.

Sharp pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and was jailed for eight years.

Andrew Cox, 41, of Glenside, Kirkby, was trusted to hold significant amounts of heroin and crack cocaine to reload street dealers for the group. He was also entrusted to run two of the group’s many drug line phones servicing the Kirkby and Sutton areas.

Following his arrest, mobile phones used to operate two drug lines were seized from his home along with large amounts of crack cocaine and heroin that was ready to be supplied to street dealers in the area.

Cox tried to dispose of the drug phones by dropping into tins of paint but police were quick to discover them and recover the phones which contained key evidence. Weapons were found at his home address including an air pistol, knives and a cross bow with arrows.

Cox pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and was jailed for eight years.

Jaime Buxton, 26, of Harcourt Street, Kirkby, acted as a courier for the group. She was required to deliver Class A drugs to re-supply drug lines by attending stash houses, collecting commodity or cash and driving to reload Sharp, Cox or the street dealers, travelling throughout Nottinghamshire between Eastwood, Kirkby, Sutton and Bestwood and regularly to Skegness when Sharp was supplying there.

Her involvement was evidenced extensively in the messaging communication with other defendants.

Buxton pleaded guilty part-way through trial to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, and handed a two-year community order comprising 30 rehabilitation activity days and a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.

Yvette Davis, 56, of Laurel Grove, Kirkby, acted as a courier and driver for the group during from March to July 2024, moving drugs and cash from Bestwood to Kirkby, Eastwood and Sutton.

In July 2024, she was stopped during one of these journeys in her vehicle on her return to Kirkby from Bestwood and found in possession of over £1,500 worth of Class A drugs in her vehicle.

Davis was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) following a five-week trial and was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, and handed a two-year community order comprising 30 rehabilitation activity days.

Claire Lidgett, 41, of Glenside, Kirkby, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine).

In July, a search was conducted at her home address where she lived with her partner Andrew Cox. Officers found a handset containing the Sutton and Kirkby drug lines as well as drugs throughout the address, including inside a teddy bear.

Her fingerprint was found on a dealer list and messages on recovered handsets in the case showed she had a knowledge the drugs operation. Less than two weeks later, police attended Lidgett and Cox's address again where more Class A drugs and weapons were recovered as well as the Kirkby and Sutton drug line telephone secreted in a tin of paint.

Lidgett was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, and handed a two-year community order comprising 30 rehabilitation requirement days.

Stacey Beeson, 39, of Bancroft Street, Bulwell, allowed OCG members to use her home to store large amounts of Class A drugs and as a base to reload the couriers and was responsible for preparing the drugs for onward supply.

On her own admission in interview, she allowed the group to do this for two years.

In March 2024 a warrant was conducted at her home address, 78.2g of Heroin and 192g of cocaine were recovered with a street value of nearly £30,000.

Beeson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years.

Tyrone Shand, 38, of Linby Street, Bulwell, was described in court as a ‘career drug trafficker’, Shand was involved in supplying Class A drugs to Aaron Miller.

A mobile phone extraction identified that in September 2023, Shand was in communication with Miller. Messages revealed Miller was contacting Shand trying to purchase kilo amounts of cocaine and heroin in September 2023.

Shand was arrested in November 2023 after being witnessed by police to leave the address of Chadwyk Walton in Merchant Street, Bulwell, where drugs were found.

Shand pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and cocaine) and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs (cannabis) and was jailed for six years and nine months.

During the Operation Drawbridge investigation, officers searched the home of Chadwyck Walton, 31, of Merchant Street, Bulwell, and found 299.67g of cocaine with a street value of up to £28,000, 1.645kg of cannabis with a street value of up to £17,000, plus further drugs paraphernalia and 407g of phenacetin (a cutting agent).

Walton tried to evade capture by climbing out of a first-floor rear window but was detained in his garden.

Walton pleaded guilty to permitting the use of a premises for supply of Class A and Class B drugs (heroin and cannabis) and was jailed for four years and six months.

Temika Morris, 29, of Merchant Street, Bulwell, was arrested alongside Chadwyck Walton after cocaine cannabis and drugs paraphernalia were discovered at their home address following a warrant.

Morris pleaded guilty to permitting the use of a premises for supply of Class A and Class B drugs (heroin and cannabis) and was handed an 18-month Community Order, including a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Following the sentencings, Detective Constable Steven Fenyn, of Nottinghamshire Police's Serious Organised Crime unit, said: “This is a fantastic result to see this organised crime group behind bars.

“These were callous criminals who only cared about making vast amounts of money. They didn’t care how lethal their commodities were or the consequences for the communities and innocent people who would be irrevocably affected by this.

“They thought they were untouchable but we were able to systematically dismantle the group and show them this wasn’t the case.

“We remain absolutely determined to crack down on criminal gangs and will continue to carry out necessary observations, action and enforcement to ensure illegal drugs are taken off our streets.”