Members of a Nottinghamshire gang which stole high value cars and dealt heroin, cocaine, and cannabis have been locked up. The criminal scheme to supply illegal Class A and B drugs was active between January 2021 and March 2022, selling through three distinct mobile phone lines, known as ‘drug lines’ .
Twenty-three-year-old Patrick Power was a facilitator for the group and handled the storage and movement of drugs. Power was arrested at his home, in Langton Close, Colwick, after officers executed a search warrant as part of a Nottinghamshire Police investigation into the theft of high value vehicles.
Quantities of cocaine and cash were recovered during the raid, carried out on October 8, 2021, and mobile phone call data linked him to the wider drug supply operation. AJ Davidson, aged 25, of HMP Ranby, was responsible for the day-to-day running of one of the drug lines, conducting sales which included preparation of deals and delivering the product to customers.
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Davidson operated a drugs line facilitating the supply of cannabis and a second drugs line, selling cocaine, crack cocaine and heroin. He was arrested after police stopped a car at East Point Retail Park in Nottingham on August, 30 2021.
A strong smell of cannabis emanated from the vehicle and bags containing the Class B drug were found inside along with burner-type phones. When officers searched an address in Sneinton, linked to Davidson, they found tubs containing Class A drugs which had been kept in safes.
Jessica Bayley, aged 23, of Millers Green, Sneinton, helped Davidson with the preparation and delivery of controlled drugs. Other senior players, responsible for managing the drugs conspiracy operation, were brothers Dane and Dylan Broadley.
During the investigation, led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), 28-year-old Dane Broadley, of HMP Nottingham, was found to have used 36 different telephone numbers during the conspiracy period. Dylan Broadley, aged 26, also of HMP Nottingham, was arrested after police executed a warrant at an address in Coningswath Road, Carlton, on October 8, 2021.
Examination of a mobile phone revealed messages relating to Class B drugs. Zoe Opie, 28, and Jamie Ross, 27, both of Meadow Cottages, Netherfield, were arrested and interviewed on March 11, 2022 in relation to their involvement in the conspiracy.
They were responsible for the day-to-day running of one of the drugs lines facilitating the supply of cannabis. This involved conducting the sale of controlled drugs to customers of the line, including preparing deals and delivering the product to customers.
Following the extensive investigation into the drug conspiracy, Patrick Power, AJ Davidson, and Jessica Bayley were subsequently charged and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs. Power, who also admitted a charge of handling stolen goods, was jailed for four years when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court for sentencing on Friday, April 21.
Davidson was locked up for two-and-a-half years. Bayley was given an 18-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Dane Broadley, Dylan Broadley, Zoe Opie, and Jamie Ross pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class B drugs. Dane Broadley was handed a three-and-a-half year sentence, Dylan Broadley received three years, Opie was given a two-year community order and Ross was given a 12-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
Other members of the organised crime group were involved in the theft of high value vehicles, which was revealed unveiled during a police investigation into the drug supply operation. They used signal jammers to prevent people from locking their vehicles and then used other devices to override security protocols allowing them to start up and steal the vehicles.
Mark Bentley, aged 40, of Woodfield Road, Broxtowe Estate; Simon Masey, formerly of Burns Lane, Warsop; Lee Southall, aged 37, of HMP Nottingham; and Simon Bradshaw, aged 43, also of HMP Nottingham, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to steal motor vehicles.
Bradshaw was given a two-and-a-half year sentence. Masey received 18 months and Bentley and Southall received 15 months each. All three were released due to time already served.
EMSOU Detective Inspector Mark Adas said: “As a result of our detailed investigation we managed to dismantle this organised crime group and cut off three drugs lines supplying heroin, cocaine, crack cocaine and cannabis within Nottinghamshire.
“My proactive team worked really closely with neighbourhood policing and Operation Reacher teams during the course of their investigation. Thankfully, they were able to gather a wealth of evidence against this group, uncovering the extent of the operation and the roles being played by individuals.
“Controlled drugs, and those who supply them, blight our communities, and exploit the most vulnerable people in society for their own financial gain. I am pleased we have now been able to bring these criminals to justice and I hope the outcome of this complex case serves as a clear warning that county lines drug dealing, and other serious crimes such as vehicle theft, will not be tolerated and robust action will be taken to close the net on offenders causing misery through drug dealing.”
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