Cocaine gang boss jailed 12 years after using drug phone to report burglary

Andrew Savage, 34, from Stockton sold over £1m of cocaine over six years while living a luxury lifestyle. He was caught after calling police on his drug operation phone.

Stockton drug lord's burglary call to police led to 12-year prison sentence

A cocaine dealer who funded a luxury lifestyle through more than £1m in drug sales has been jailed for 12 years after inadvertently linking himself to his criminal operation by using his drug-line phone to report a burglary, Google News IE — Crime (en) reports via the BBC.

Andrew Savage, 34, from Stockton, admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine at Teesside Crown Court. Recorder Mark Giuliani described Savage as having lived an "extravagant" and "millionaire's" lifestyle while playing a leading role in the drugs gang.

The case began on 19 November 2025, when police in Middlesbrough stopped a man behaving suspiciously and found cocaine wraps and two mobile phones on his person, prosecutor Shaun Dryden told the court. Messages on the phones showed the man was selling drugs for an individual known as "Machete", who was running the operation, arranging drug restocking and supplying vehicles for deliveries.

Detectives were "very keen to find out who Machete was," Dryden said. The breakthrough came when investigators traced Machete's phone number to a 2024 call reporting a burglary — the caller was Savage. Records obtained from the mobile phone company confirmed the phone and number were registered in his name.

Officers visiting Savage's home on an unrelated matter in December 2025 noted his expensive watch, necklace and ring, adding to their suspicions. He was arrested at his home on 25 March, where police found £20,000 in cash in a carrier bag in his loft, £1,800 in his bedroom and £500 worth of cocaine in the back yard.

Further seizures included a £96,000 BMW, a £25,000 necklace and a Rolex watch valued at a minimum of £50,000. Credit card records showed Savage had spent almost £127,000 on first-class flights, luxury holidays and clothing between January 2023 and April 2026.

Bank account analysis revealed 15,604 incoming payments since 2020, primarily in amounts of £50, £70 and £100, totalling £1,033,600. Drugs experts estimated he had sold approximately 13.7kg of cocaine. There was also evidence of dealing in gold bullion, the court heard.

Recorder Giuliani said the cocaine Savage and his associates put onto the streets caused "crime and misery" and "devastated the lives" of many people.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Sergeant Owen Collingwood of Cleveland Police said the sentence was "testament to [Savage's] criminality" and reflected "how he exploited others to do his dirty work while he enjoyed the rewards."

Source: Google News IE — Crime (en)