Members of a drug gang which flooded the streets of Leeds with class A drugs and fuelled gang-related machete attacks have been jailed for 42 years.
The violence was linked to rival urban street gangs involved in a "ring and bring" drugs trade which saw young boys being attacked and suffering horrific injuries as a result.
More than 50 people were arrested and more than half a million pounds worth of class A drugs were recovered along with £20,000 in cash, machetes, swords and combat knives after specialist detectives from Leeds District Programme Precision Team, which targets serious and organised crime, launched two phases which were the result of a year-long investigation.
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The majority of those arrested during the most recent operation were charged with offences linked to the supply of class A drugs. Marcus Thomas, from Gipton, was one of those arrested after being identified as the ringleader of a group involved in dealing heroin and crack cocaine.
Detectives used a range of tactics to build up a clear evidential picture of Thomas’s involvement in the illicit trade along with his links to his "lieutenants." He was charged in relation to conspiracy to supply class A drugs between May and October 2020 with John Burgon, Michael Sharlotte and his sister Amie.
Marcus Thomas and Burgon were also charged along with five others with two counts of conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine between November 25, 2021 and April 25, 2022. When officers executed a search warrant at co-conspirator Francis Harvey’s address in Torre Hill, Burmantofts, they found 5kg of heroin with an estimated street value of £500,000. Those involved in the conspiracies were also charged with various other individual supply or possession with intent to supply offences.
Marcus Thomas, aged 29, of Brander Grove, Gipton, was jailed for 11 years and six months; John Burgon, aged 40, of Oak Tree Drive, Gipton, was sentenced to seven years and four months; Francis Harvey, aged 47, of Torre Hill, Burmantofts, was given a six-year prison term; Steven Moss, aged 42, of St James Street, Heckmondwike, was given five years and four months custody; Mackenzie Boylan, aged 27, of Hansby Place, Seacroft, was sentenced to four years and four months; Charlie Lock, aged 24, of Hansby Place, Seacroft, was also given four years and four months; Michael Sharlotte, aged 27, of Amberton Grove, Gipton, was jailed for three years and four months. Sean Taylor, aged 20, of Rathmell Road, Leeds, and Amie Thomas, aged 29, of Lincoln Road, Burmantofts were both given suspended sentences.
They were sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Monday.
Following the sentences, Detective Inspector Michael Herbert, who heads Leeds District Programme Precision Team, said: “These individuals were profiting from the human misery associated with heroin and crack cocaine, not just in terms of the negative effects on the lives of individual users and their families, but in the extreme violence that surrounds street-level dealing by organised rival gangs.
“We have seen all too regularly the gruesome injuries that have been caused to young teenage males by machetes and other weapons in incidents that are intrinsically linked to the supply of Class A drugs. These latest convictions are the result of months of painstaking work to build up a detailed comprehensive package of evidence that ties each of those involved to the offences.
“We hope the significant sentences they have received will serve as a stark reminder of the serious penalties that those involved in the supply of drugs can expect. We also hope it will provide some reassurance to local communities and illustrate our ongoing commitment to keep targeting those who think they can profit from the destructive trade in drugs.”
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