A drug dealer who sourced high purity cocaine for an organised crime group has been jailed for 10 years.
Christopher Windmill, 47, appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Friday, February 17, where he was sentenced for supplying Liam Pow and his drugs-ring with Class A substances. Pow and eight others were jailed for a combined total of almost 50 years for conspiracy to supply, at the same court in December 2022 and January 2023.
During the course of the investigation officers uncovered encrypted messages sent between Windmill and Pow, during March and May 2020 - when the UK was in lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Officers deciphered text exchanges written in slang and coded language between the men, which revealed Pow and his associates were selling cocaine sourced by Windmill and his contacts. After building up a file of evidence, officers from Northumbria Police swooped in on the group and arrested a number of people during targeted raids across Cramlington, West Denton, Walker and further afield in Newton Aycliffe.
They seized three kilos of cocaine with a street value of £135,000 as well as £260,000 of suspected criminal cash. With assistance from West Midlands Police, Windmill, who is from Coventry, was arrested at his home address in February 2021, brought in for questioning and charged in connection with the conspiracy.
Evidence was compiled and a case presented before the courts, and on Friday, February 17, Windmill of Auberndale Avenue, Coventry, was jailed for 10 years and six months.
One of the group's couriers, Ronald Smith, of Laburnum Gardens in Durham, also appeared at the same court today where he was jailed for three years and four months.
Detective Chief Inspector Marc Michael, from the Force's Crime department praised the result.
He said: "We make no apologies for our continued activity to remove illegal and destructive substances like cocaine from our communities and I am pleased with the sentence handed down.
"Windmill was shameless in his approach to sourcing and selling high purity cocaine – using encrypted messaging to try and evade the law and cover up his offending.
"What’s worse is that this group flouted Covid regulations, meeting up to exchange cash and drugs while the rest of us were trying to adapt and follow the lockdown rules.
"This case was compiled with the help and support of officers and staff from across the force, our West Midlands Police colleagues and our criminal justice partners. It has resulted in twelve convictions and a number of organised criminals being placed behind bars. Two further men are due to be sentenced later this year.
"As part of Operation Sentinel, we’ll continue to work hard to disrupt this type of criminality."
If you would like to report any suspicious behaviour, please visit the Northumbria Police website and use the ‘Tell Us Something’ page.
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