A drug dealer who posed as a key worker to ship millions of pounds worth of cocaine tried to argue £90,000 worth of cash belonged to him legitimately - despite being found stashed under his floorboards by police. The huge sum of money was discovered at the Bilborough property of Stephan Lees Rowe, who took part in an international operation, collecting the drugs coming in from around Europe and distributing them around the UK.
Lees Row underwent the operation with Matthew Whorlow, of Strelley, who was a highways worker - this was to provide cover when national Covid restrictions threatened to strangle his operation. 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.
Nottingham Magistrates' Court was told on Wednesday, March 30, that police entered Lees Rowe's address back in the summer of 2020. He escaped via a window but injured himself and was later caught by a police dog. The court was told: "He answered no comment to all questions from police. He recently has been convicted for conspiracy to import or supply Class A drugs and converting criminal property. He played a leading role in these offences and was sentenced to 13 years imprisonment."
