‘County lines’ drug gang targeted Swad
A DRUGS gang flooded a Derbyshire town with heroin and crack cocaine as part of a “county lines” operation.
Asha Henry played a leading role in getting the class A substances into the county and also collected money made from them.
Derby Crown Court heard how he recruited people, including Nathan Meade, to sell the drugs in the town.
Marketing messages were sent out to between 70 and 110 users. Orders would be placed and deliveries made, including over a short period by a third man, James Lauro.
The court heard how Henry passed on drugs to Meade, who lived in Swadlincote before being put on remand last year, to sell and he would also collect takings – coming from Birmingham on occasions in taxis.
Until now a reporting restriction has been in place forbidding publication. That is because the final member of the gang, 42-year-old Lauro, who acted as a courier over a space of eight days, has now been sentenced.
At the end of June, Judge Shaun Smith QC jailed Henry for five years and seven months, and also handed Meade a 32-month custodial sentence. But as Meade had served more than 16 months on remand he was released the same day.
County lines is where illegal drugs are transported from one area to another, often across local authority boundaries. “Cuckooing” is when dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person.
Judge Smith said: “This involved the supply of class A drugs into Swadlincote including heroin and crack cocaine. I accept it was county lines and an element of cuckooing.
“The line was in existence between June and October [2018] and was lucrative. Henry, you have no relevant antecedents. You recruited people to put them in place. When you ran out of employees you did it yourself.
“You remained involved until your arrest. I have heard you regret your offending. You have been waiting 18 months in custody to be sentenced. You have been doing well in prison.”
Addressing Meade, 20, Judge Smith said: “You are a different proposition. There is an element of cuckooing. You did organise the sale of drugs. You have been in prison waiting to be sentenced. I expect you will be immediately released.”
The court heard how the operation ran during the summer of 2018.
Sarah Slater, prosecuting, told the court Henry would come to Swadlincote from Birmingham in a taxi or sometimes being driven by Lauro.
She said he would collect takings and to reload the drugs from a property where a known drug user lived in the town centre. Miss Slater said Henry also recruited people to sell the drugs in Swadlincote and that when that property was raided by the police more than 100 wraps of either heroin or crack cocaine were recovered along with mobile phones and a knife. She said: “Lauro’s role was as a courier.” Meade was arrested and found to be in possession of a number of wraps of heroin and crack cocaine. Rob Cowley, mitigating for Henry, 24, of Mcgregor Close, Birmingham, said: “I concede the defendant has a leading role, it would be futile to do otherwise. He was 22 at the time.
“He has not been able to have contact with his two children as he otherwise would have. He regrets his offending, he told me ‘I’m done’.
Steven Ramsell, for Meade, said: “He was 18 at the time and very impressionable.”
Lauro, of Moira Road, Donisthorpe, Swadlincote, was handed a two-year jail term, suspended for two years, with 200 hours’ unpaid work. Mark Nicholls, mitigating, said: “He is full-time carer for his mother who has recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness and his elderly father is in self-isolation.”
A fourth defendant, Ashley Miller, 31, of Oversetts Road, Newhall, was handed a two-year jail term, suspended for 18 months.
Police observed him dealing in
Swadlincote on August 7, 2018, arrested him, and wraps of crack cocaine and heroin were found in a children’s bedroom in his property.
The final gang member Shuaib Gedi, 22, originally from Birmingham, was moved to live in the home of a known drug user in Midland Road, Swadlincote, and used it as a base to sell from. On August 14, 2018, he was confronted in a park in Swadlincote, ran from officers and threw a bag into a hedge.
That was recovered and found to contain wraps of both class A drugs.
He was jailed for two years, suspended for 18 months.
All the defendants pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
You have been in prison waiting to be sentenced. I expect you will be immediately released.
Judge to Meade