Newcastle crime boss Kevin Taylor jailed 27 years in £68m cocaine plot

Kevin Taylor, 43, led an organised crime group that smuggled cocaine from Europe in gas canisters. Two co-conspirators also sentenced at Newcastle Crown Court.

Newcastle crime boss handed 27-year sentence over £68m cocaine conspiracy

Kevin Taylor, 43, of Ladybank, Chapel Park, Newcastle, has been jailed for 27 years after being found to have led an organised crime group responsible for flooding the North East with cocaine worth an estimated £68m, Chronicle Live reports.

Taylor and members of his gang imported large quantities of the drug into the United Kingdom from Europe, concealed inside gas canisters. The conspiracy dates back to 2020, and was uncovered after French police cracked the encrypted messaging service EncroChat, which the group had used to conduct its operations.

A court heard that Taylor was involved in the importation and supply of more than 200 kilograms of cocaine — enough, on a conservative estimate, for 2.75 million half-gram deals. At £50 per gram, the total street value equates to £68,750,000.

The ringleader's role

Taylor operated under the EncroChat handle "Loyal Mover". Newcastle Crown Court heard that he was in overall charge of the organised crime group, coordinating both the importation of cocaine from Europe and its onward distribution across the North East. He controlled the collection and movement of large quantities of drugs and cash.

EncroChat messages showed Taylor in contact with an individual based in Spain and with another user going by the handle "Mr Soprano". In one exchange, the pandemic was discussed as a logistical obstacle, with Taylor noting he was attempting to register his drivers as NHS volunteers in order to circumvent Covid restrictions on movement.

References in the messages to "working from the flat" were described by prosecutors as code for importing cocaine from Holland. A Spain-based contact referred to "40 a week" — which prosecutors said meant 40 kilograms of cocaine per week — alongside a target to "make half a million in the flat".

Co-conspirators sentenced

David Jeavons, 60, of Bockenfield Country Park, Felton, Northumberland, was described in court as an "organiser and facilitator" who made arrangements for large cocaine shipments to enter and move through the North East. Known on EncroChat as "Slick Pearl", he was arrested with £24,000 in cash found in the roof of his caravan. Jeavons has prior convictions for drug supply offences in 2005 and 2010, for which he received sentences of five and a half years and nine years respectively. He was jailed for 10 years and eight months for his role in the current conspiracy.

David Bowen, 53, of Fleming Mead, Mitcham, London, was described as a middleman who helped arrange the importation of 42 kilograms of cocaine. His EncroChat handle was "Disco Cockney". In one message, Bowen said he was looking to transport 70 to 100 kilos from Holland "on behalf of a Geordie". He carries previous convictions for drug offences from 2007, 2014 and 2023, attracting sentences of six, eight and ten years and eight months respectively. He received a four-year sentence for his involvement in this conspiracy.

Other members of the gang have already been sentenced separately, and further hearings are scheduled for remaining defendants.

Judge: "Drug trafficking is wicked"

Passing sentence on all three, Judge Julie Clemitson did not spare her words. "While the world battled the pandemic and families mourned the loss of their freedom and in some cases their loved ones, you were all engaged in spreading further pain and misery by transporting large amounts of cocaine," she said.

The judge noted that evidence revealed gun threats had been made at one stage. "The threats with guns demonstrate the violent underbelly of the group you were," she told the defendants.

Judge Clemitson went on to address the wider damage caused by the conspiracy: "The conspiracy put millions of doses of cocaine onto the streets and millions of pounds into the pockets of those involved. That comes from users, their families and through acquisitive crime."

She questioned the human cost at length. "How many addicts are out in the community, not able to hold down a job, not able to parent their children, not able to keep a roof over their head. How many are seriously ill as a result of their addiction, how many have lost lives as a result of addiction and drug misuse."

Turning to the defendants directly, Judge Clemitson added: "It's trite to say it but drug trafficking is wicked and a scourge on our society. You are all capable men, eminently capable of contributing and have contributed to your communities in positive ways. You are family men. What a tragic waste you have chosen to go down this path."

She concluded: "You well knew the risks, you knew the consequences of being caught were severe yet you each put your desire for financial gain above all of that."

Missing drugs and a death threat

Among the incidents detailed in the EncroChat messages was an episode in which 10 kilograms of cocaine went missing. The gang identified a man in Fenham whom they suspected of theft and discussed "grabbing him". Police subsequently issued the man with an Osman warning — a formal notification that his life was in danger. A second individual, referred to in messages as "Irish Peter", also came under suspicion. Ultimately, seven of the ten kilograms were returned to the gang.

Taylor, Jeavons and Bowen all admitted conspiracy to evade the prohibition on the importation of drugs and conspiracy to supply a controlled drug.

Source: Chronicle Live