Cocaine gang jailed up to 24 years for Nottingham-Manchester drug trafficking
Ten men have been sentenced for running a sophisticated cocaine and heroin trafficking network between Manchester and Nottingham. Ringleader Craig Moran received 24 years.
Ten convicted as Nottingham-Manchester drug cartel dismantled
Ten men have been sentenced for their roles in a "highly sophisticated" criminal cartel that trafficked large quantities of cocaine, heroin and cannabis between Manchester and Nottingham, bbc.co.uk reports.
The sentencing hearing at Nottingham Crown Court lasted three days and concluded on Wednesday. Craig Moran, 42, formerly of Revelstoke Way, Rise Park, Nottingham, was identified as the head of the operation and received the heaviest sentence: 24 years in prison.
Judge Michael Auty KC described Moran as "the head of an organised criminal group" whose "principal and incredibly lucrative activity was the supply of controlled drugs". Moran deliberately recruited trusted family members and friends and avoided discussing operations over the phone or in public, making him "confident that he would never ever be caught", the court heard.
Jodie Danson, 43, formerly of Edmund Street, Salford, Manchester, was identified as Moran's counterpart in Manchester. The judge said Danson was "effectively Craig Moran's opposite number" who similarly "recruited family and friends to maximise loyalties and minimise risk". Danson was sentenced to 16 years.
The conspiracy was described by Auty as sitting "at the very top of the scale of seriousness", which he likened to a football club at "mid-table of the Premier League". The group used a series of mobile phones and the encrypted platform EncroChat to conduct and conceal their activities — tools that the judge said made this "a highly sophisticated criminal cartel" that was only stopped "by the intervention of the authorities".
Danson was recalled to prison in May 2018, but the court heard his "involvement in this enterprise continued, in many ways undiminished". Moran, fearing "the net was closing in", fled to the United Arab Emirates in August 2018. He was extradited back to the UK in 2020.
The investigation was carried out by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit and followed Moran's earlier history as a major figure in gun crime in Nottingham during the 2000s. Guns and ammunition were recovered at a number of properties during the inquiry.
Judge Auty said the defendants' activities caused "immense" harm to society. "These drugs, particularly cocaine and heroin, are a blight on society," he said. "It's almost impossible to overstate the corrosive effects of these drugs."
Assistant Chief Constable Rob Griffin of Nottinghamshire Police said the "hefty" sentences were "a testament to an impressive investigation". He added that further action would be pursued under the Proceeds of Crime Act to "seek to identify and seize any assets amounted from the running of this illicit enterprise".
"This was a massive undertaking by a very skilled and determined investigation team to dismantle a gang which was responsible for bringing large amounts of cocaine and heroin into Nottingham as well as firearms and ammunition," Griffin said.
The sentences handed down were as follows:
Craig Moran, 42, formerly of Revelstoke Way, Rise Park, Nottingham — 24 years. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, and concealing or transferring criminal property.
Jodie Danson, 43, formerly of Edmund Street, Salford, Manchester — 16 years. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess prohibited weapons, conspiracy to supply a Class A controlled drug, and conspiracy to supply a Class B controlled drug.
Callum Sims, 37, formerly of Morrell Bank, Bestwood, Nottingham — 14 years. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to transfer a prohibited weapon, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, and related offences.
Darren Bexon, 39, formerly of Huggett Gardens, Top Valley, Nottingham — 12 years. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, a further conspiracy to supply a Class A drug, and conspiracy to produce a Class B controlled drug.
Lee Hudson, 26, formerly of Wendling Gardens, Bestwood, Nottingham — 12 years. Pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, producing Class B drugs, possessing Class B drugs with intent, and possession of criminal property.
Richard Jones, 51, formerly of Edgeware Road, Newton Heath, Manchester — eight years. Pleaded guilty to possession of ammunition without a certificate, possessing Class B drugs with intent, possession of a Class A drug, possession of a Class B drug, and two counts of possession of a firearm.
John Newns, 43, of Asgard Drive, Salford, Manchester — three years and four months. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a Class B controlled drug and producing a Class B drug.
Dean Hudson, 25, of Totland Drive, Nottingham — three years. Pleaded guilty to participating in criminal activity, producing a Class B drug, and possessing Class B drugs with intent; found guilty of possessing criminal property.
Craig Bailey, 35, of Watkins Avenue, Salford, Manchester — 15 months. Pleaded guilty to participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group.
Calum Kirk, 25, of Whitton Close, Bestwood, Nottingham — two years, suspended for two years. Pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and affray.
Source: Google News UK — Crime (en)