VIDEO: Trio jailed as part of Notts drugs gang

A gun, bullets, drugs, cash and various drugs paraphernalia, were seized during the investigation into the crime gang.

Elliott Butler, 23, of Bentinck Street, admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and was jailed for five years and three months.

After a trial Ashley Prater, 30, of Montague Road, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class B drugs and sent to prison for four years.

Tara Shelton, 21, of Bentinck Street admitted conspiracy to supply class A drugs and given a three-year jail term.

The extent of the group’s illegal activity was identified after officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), working in conjunction with Nottinghamshire Police, conducted a detailed investigation into their movements and associations.

It revealed a complex network of organised illegal activity operating out of Bulwell and Bestwood.

During a number of searches, between February 2014 and June 2014, officers seized half a kilogram of cannabis in one ounce deal bags from a car and a Beretta handgun with a clip of seven bullets and £1,000 in bank notes all hidden in a mattress.

They also found two hydraulic presses, used for the manufacture of cocaine, from an outbuilding, scales and gloves, three-and-a-half ounces of cocaine and cutting agent, deal bags and scales containing cocaine residue, 32 cannabis plants from two houses

hydroponics equipment from a loft and hydraulic press parts featuring cocaine residue.

EMSOU Detective Chief Inspector Paul Myers, who led the investigation, said: “Whether it is low-level dealing, or highly organised trafficking and distribution, we are committed to cutting off drug supply and bringing those responsible to justice.

“As this case illustrates, with some good police work, often one name can lead to another, and then another and then another, until you have a criminal gang before a judge.

“As a result ten people, a quantity of drugs and manufacturing equipment, and a firearm have been removed from our communities and an illicit drugs network dismantled.”