Neighbours on a street where a flat was used in an international cocaine ring have spoken of their "life in fear". Some said they do not leave the house without a panic alarm, while others are fearful for their children and families.
It comes after two Nottingham men who posed as key workers transported and sold millions of pounds worth of cocaine during lockdown. Stephen Lees and Matthew Whorlow, who have been jailed, collected drugs coming from Europe and distributed them around the UK in 2020
They ran the operation from a small flat in Springhead Court, Bulwell. And, between March and June 2020, regional detectives established that the pair had supplied cocaine with a street value of more than £4.5million to organised criminal gangs in Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester and the West Midlands.
But neighbours in Springhead Court said the scale of operation had left a climate of fear. Some said they were not sure if they'd ever feel safe. A resident, who asked to be anonymous, said she never opened the door to strangers.
"I am completely deaf, I have anxiety and depression," she said. "I am vulnerable, I would not have a chance. I know this place is rough so it does not surprise me. I never leave the house."
She said she had key-workers looking after her, and that she couldn't comprehend why the two dealers would "pretend something that they are not". "It is pure evil. It is like targeting the vulnerable," she said.
But she is not the only person who feels this way. Leroy Black, a disabled resident in Springhead Court, has lived at the same property for 20 years. The 62-year-old said he always locked everything up.
"It is a nightmare. It is scary and annoying because it happens right on my doorstep. There is always police around." He went on and said: "It could have been any of these properties. You cannot trust anyone."
Neighbours in the area said they kept themselves to themselves - and that they were wary when opening their door to strangers. "There are a lot of dodgy things going on around here. It is very scary," Mr Black added.
Another resident, who wished to not be named, said she prayed for the safety of the community and never left the house without a panic alarm. "At least I know that, if something happens, help will come. I know what this area is like and it is not safe."
She is a young woman who moved recently to the area and added: "I do not believe in anyone to keep this community safe other than God. I pray for the community and everyone's safety and hope that the day will come when we will all leave in peace. Until he will save us - we are here living in fear."
Semi-retired Bob Smith, 56, said he had his own 'bodyguard' he can trust to keep him safe - a large dog sensing danger. He added: "I never had any trouble here but I have a great bodyguard.
"It is shocking to hear that something of this scale happened here, though. I came home drunk and left the door unlocked and never had any issues thanks to the dog. I lived here for two years."
One day in May 2020, Lees and Whorlow were caught on CCTV wearing distinctive high visibility trousers as they drove in the van containing several sets of temporary traffic lights. They returned to Lees’ flat with a box and bag containing 20 kilograms of cocaine which were later sold on.
On June 11, Lees used the same ruse to collect 21 kilograms from a contact at Kettering Service Station. However, on this occasion police were lying in wait outside Lees’ flat, in Springhead Court. Inside they recovered the drugs and more than £90,000 in cash that was hidden under the floorboards.
In a desperate bid to escape, Lees jumped from a window and sustained a broken ankle as a result. Whorlow was implicated after detectives linked him to the crime with evidence found in Lees’ flat. This included an encrypted ‘encrochat’ mobile phone used to communicate with other criminals.
Appearing at Harrow Crown Court last month, Lees, of Hoylake Crescent, Bilborough, was jailed for 13 years and two months. Whorlow, 40, of Goldham Road, Strelley, was jailed at an earlier hearing for 10 years and nine months.
Summarising the scale and sophistication of the operation so close to home, neighbour Mr Smith added: "That is very clever, what they did. A very complex, clever operation that was going on right in our neighbourhood."
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