A County Durham drugs courier has been jailed for his involvement in a "slick" Newcastle cocaine conspiracy.
Nathan Houghton was only involved in the cocaine conspiracy for one day in 2020 when he acted as a courier in delivering at least one kilo of high purity cocaine to Newcastle and then transporting a large amount of cash back to the Darlington area. Despite a lesser role in the conspiracy, the 25-year-old was jailed for over four years at Newcastle Crown Court on Thursday.
Houghton, of Wakenshaw Drive, Newton Aycliffe, appeared at the court via link from HMP Durham to be sentenced for conspiracy to supply cocaine and driving without insurance or a licence. He had pleaded guilty to the offences previously.
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The court heard that Houghton played a part in a cocaine conspiracy which involved the transportation and selling of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine. Large quantities of the drug were delivered and collected during the conspiracy between March 11 and July 16 2020 before a police raid called a halt to the "slick" operation.
Susannah Proctor, prosecuting, said on July 6 2020, Houghton was seen by police driving a Vauxhall Astra with another man before handing a bag of cocaine to Scott Ridley in Cowen Street, Walker. The wider conspiracy involved a number of players and saw 26kg of high purity cocaine "shifted" throughout the area, which almost amounted a £1m turnover, the court heard.
Addressing Houghton, Judge Edward Bindloss said: "Your role was much more limited, you were a courier for one day and involved you taking drugs from Darlington to Newcastle, and then taking cash back to Darlington." The court was told Houghton had at least one kilo of cocaine in his possession, likely three kilos, before he received a "large quantity of cash" which was "indicative of more than one kilo" of cocaine. Police later found a short "celebratory" video which was filmed by Houghton's co-accused when they were in possession of a bag of cash in the car.
Richard Canning, defending, asked the court for credit for Houghton's guilty pleas and said he was only involved for a single day. He said: "He was involved through naivety and played a limited function under direction. He has now cleaned himself up and has a positive outlook, he can contribute positively to society."
Sentencing Houghton, who had six previous convictions for eight offences, none of which were for drugs matters, Judge Bindloss jailed him for four years and one month. He also gave him six penalty points on his driving licence.
Houghton was one of a group of 12 caught out by police during a surveillance operation which saw their encrypted messages infiltrated.
The activity saw numerous properties raided across Northumberland, Newcastle and Durham and police recovered three kilos of cocaine with a street value of £135,000, and £260,000 of suspected criminal cash.
Seven of the main players of the gang were jailed for a combined total of more than 40 years at the same court back in December.
Those previously jailed are:
- Liam Pow, 34, of Wreay Walk in Cramington, was jailed for 14 years and four months.
- Scott Ridley, 32, of Walkerfield Court in Newcastle, was jailed for nine years and four months.
- Tiffany Day, 30, also of Walkerfield Court denied her involvement but was found guilty following a trial, and jailed for three years.
- Christopher Phillips, 30, of Clapham Avenue, Newcastle was jailed for four years and six months.
- Alexander Peter James Bales, 25, of Ida Place Newton Aycliffe, was jailed for four years and nine months.
- Jace Michael Farrell, 26, of Phoenix Place in Newton Aycliffe, was jailed for four years and nine months.
- David Storey, 29, of Welbeck Road, Walker was jailed for five years and one month.
Speaking after the hearing, Detective Chief Inspector Marc Michael from Northumbria Police’s Crime department, said: “I am pleased that the court continues to recognise the harm this organised crime group poses to our communities through selling illegal, class A drugs.
“Houghton may not have been the main player in this operation but he was happy to be a part of it, delivering drugs and cash to various locations and being paid for this so-called work.
“He initially denied his involvement in police interview but then admitted his guilt in court and I am pleased he is now behind bars – like the rest of his associates.
“Drugs like cocaine have no place in our communities and anyone involved in its storage, supply or distribution will continue to be pursued under the banner of Operation Sentinel – our dedicated initiative to tackling Serious and Organised Crime.”
If you would like to report any suspicious behaviour, visit the Northumbria Police website and use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page.
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