Drugs gang feel full force of the law in sentencing  

A GANG from Newquay were sentenced to almost 50 years in jail last week for their role in a criminal network which tried to "flood" Cornwall with cocaine and cannabis.

The group formed part of a larger network of 21 people who had fallen foul of the biggest police sting operation in the duchy's history, carried out between October 2010 and June 2011.

Operating alongside another group from Falmouth, and contacts in the North, West Midlands and South East, they were responsible for trafficking drugs into Cornwall.

Collectively, the network was responsible for trying to bring in cocaine, cannabis and amphetamines with a street value of £880,000.

In some cases the cocaine was adulterated to such an extent that less than 15 per cent of it was the drug it was marketed as when it hit the streets.

Matthew Bird, with brothers Samual and Joseph Tucker, played a central role in organising the gang's activities and the movements of couriers on drugs runs in the county and North.

But they were foiled by a lengthy police investigation, titled Operation Ipanema, that spanned nine months, involving surveillance, mobile phone analysis, CCTV footage, police chases and roadside arrests.

Standing before Judge John Neligan in the dock throughout last week each gang member heard the same message upon sentencing.

"This behaviour would have provided many with the opportunity to become addicted to cocaine or to have fed their addiction," he said.

"This in turn, in many cases, leads to loss of health and a general downward spiral, which many addicts find difficult to recover from and in the future lead some to commit crime in order to support their addictive habit.

"Also a very huge profit may be made on this at the very top of the organisational chain, doubtless getting a larger share than those near to or at the bottom."

Each defendant told the court their own story of how they became embroiled in the conspiracy.

There were those who claimed it was to support an alcohol or gambling addiction, others to pay off debts, sometimes to the gang members themselves, others more frankly admitted they were in it just to make money.

Matthew Bird received 12 years for his part in the conspiracy. His defence lawyer Michael Gregson told the court how he had spent a lot of his ill-gotten gains on his wedding, adding how a lack of work had caused the father of three to succumb to the temptation.

His co-conspirators, Joseph and Samual Tucker, received ten and a half and nine years respectively. For the defence, Barrie Van Den Berg said Joseph Tucker thought he was "going to die" after he was diagnosed with cancer in November 2010, causing him to want to provide for his family.

Matthew Bird's father Anthony, who had made eight identical trips to Manchester under Samual Tucker's direction, being caught on one occasion with £180,000 cocaine, received six years.

Other couriers Ian Smith, Brian Callaghan and Michelle Mageean received six years, five years and a nine-month suspended sentence for their roles.

Sarah Morgan, who lived in St Dennis at the time, also received a six-month suspended sentence.

Roy Jones, of Porhan Green, who headed the Falmouth and Penryn gang, was dealt a 13-year sentence for being involved in five conspiracies to supply cocaine and cannabis - his half-brother Michael Dean Thom, also of Porhan Green, was given five years.

Speaking outside of court, David Dale, detective inspector of the serious and organised investigation team (SOCIT), said of the men: "They are major suppliers of drugs, who have made substantial amounts of money; hundreds of thousands of pounds in profits that they made and they have been living a pleasant lifestyle.

"These people have contempt for everybody else; they don't care about their neighbours, they don't care about other people because they are going to take money off them. They just see them as cash cows they can take money off.

"If you operate within Cornwall and you are a substantial drug dealer, we will locate you, we will arrest you and we will prosecute you.

"Every single person we target will be prosecuted. If you bring drugs into Cornwall, we won't just prosecute the people in Cornwall we will go after you as well."

The court heard how the level of the gang's involvement was highlighted by the continued activity despite some being released on bail.

Detective Constable Chris Louca, who was highly commended by Judge Neligan for his handling of the case, said outside court that he was pleased with the sentences.

He added that although historically the West Country may be viewed as an easy target for drugs gangs, with cases like this, that was beginning to change.

He said: "Sentences are, and should act as, a deterrent to whoever may wish to follow in their suit. With recent operations, Devon and Cornwall is now going to begin to get a reputation for being a tough place to go and try traffic drugs.

"I think what we've shown, especially with this job is that we don't just look at our criminals who are trafficking the drugs into Cornwall, we actually look at who is supplying them in bulk quantities and wherever and whenever possible we will identify them and also bring them to justice."

A further man, John Patrick Kennedy, of Stonleigh Pavilions, Bryan Road, Huddersfield, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis and possession with intent to supply cocaine and is awaiting sentencing.

Rob Andrew, from the Newquay Safe Group, told the Cornish Guardian this week: "I think drugs are an issue across the whole country and across the whole of Cornwall, concentrated in the towns and cities where there are more young people, so I am not surprised Newquay had some.

"If caught, you find yourself serving a long term in prison, so it certainly helps."

Sentences

Newquay crime group

Anthony Bird, Trenance Avenue, Newquay - 6 years

Matthew Bird, Dale Road, Newquay - 12 years

Sarah Morgan, Trelawney Road, Newquay - 6 months (suspended for one year)

Ian Smith, Polwhele Road, Newquay - 6 years

Samual Tucker, Pendragon Crescent, Newquay - 9 years

Joseph Tucker, Tamarisk Lane, Newquay - 10.5 years

Brian Callaghan, Bay View Terrace, Newquay - 5 years

Michelle Mageean, Bosworgie Close, St Columb - 9 months (suspended for one year)

Falmouth crime group

Michael Dean Thom, Broad Street, Penryn - 5 years

Jack Clark, Boslowick Road, Falmouth - 4 years

Andrew Christopher Smith, Falmouth- 2.5 years

Jon Hughes, Brookwood Lye Road, Brookwood, Woking - 6 months (to run consecutively to current sentence)

Roy Jones, River View, Polsetho, Penryn - 13 years

Roy Wilks, Swanpool Street, Falmouth - 5 years

William Mason, Carminowe, Man Road, Ashton, Helston - 3.5 years

Michael George Thom, Laburnum Close, Falmouth - 2.5 years

Northern/Surrey connection

Ian Singleton, Woodlands Close, Broadbottom, Hyde - 10 years

Jason Carter, Marston Close, Ashton-under-Lyne - 8 years

John Fullard, Dukinfield Road, Hyde park - 5 years

Kevin Waller, Allen Street, Maidstone, Kent - 6 years

Timeline of crime: How events unfolded as police captured drugs gang

October 13, 2010: Andrew Bird pulled over travelling southbound on M5 in Devon. A search of his van reveals 4kg of cocaine with a street value of £180,000. Later, a biscuit tin containing 1.4kg of benzocaine, a cutting agent, is seized from his home.

October 29, 2010: Roy Jones' Mercedes ML is seen on CCTV in Birmingham city centre. The car is pulled over near Launceston on its way back to Cornwall, with Michael Dean Thom and Jones inside, along with a passport belonging to Jack Clark. Mobile phone records show the trio made a trip to the West Midlands from Falmouth earlier that day. Clark is spotted at Birmingham New Street station catching a train for Plymouth. More mobile phone evidence shows the three met up again in the early hours of the morning in Cornwall.

November 13, 2010: Jack Clark travels to Liverpool Lime Street station from Cornwall, in contact with Roy Jones and a man from Birkenhead, known as Riley. CCTV footage shows him exit the station with a seemingly empty Nike holdall over his arm. He is spotted 50 minutes later at Hamilton Square Railway Station, Birkenhead, with a now much heavier holdall. More mobile phone analysis shows Jones and Riley had also been in contact on November 1 with Jon Hughes, who had driven a car from Falmouth to Birkenhead that same day.

November 30, 2010: Andrew Smith is pulled over on the M5 with £85,000 of cannabis and 120g of cocaine.

He had been observed in the Huddersfield area earlier that day picking up a black holdall from another male.

January 11, 2011: William Mason is pulled over near Helston carrying £135,000 worth of amphetamine and cocaine. A search of his home nearby reveals cannabis cultivation worth of £100,000. Fingerprints were found on the cannabis packaging from Roy Wilks.

Mobile phone analysis shows Wilks and Roy Jones had been in contact with Mason as he drove to Sunbury-on-Thames that day. CCTV from the Hare & Hounds pub showed him meeting an unknown male.

The CCTV also revealed that he, Jones, Wilks and Kevin Waller had met in the pub the week before for 20 minutes.

February 3, 2011: Matthew Bird and Sarah Morgan were arrested outside her home in St Dennis. A search of Morgan's home reveals two separate bundles of cash worth £4,500. Joseph Tucker is spotted at Whitecross later that day for a meeting with Jason Carter. Both men are arrested and a search of Tucker revealed cocaine with a street value of £90,000.

Carter's address and vehicle in Manchester were discovered to contain an assortment of drugs worth more than £100,000.

February 25, 2011: Ian Smith is pulled over on M5 in Devon with £40,000 in cocaine in the boot of his car.

It is later established he made a trip to the Broadbottom area of Manchester before travelling to Coventry on February 23.

March 21, 2011: Matthew Bird, Roy Jones and Michael Dean Thom are spotted meeting outside his home in Newquay. A search and arrest of the men discovers £7,000 in cash and a machine press in the boot.

March 31, 2011: Samual Tucker meets with Michael George Thom in the car park of the County Arms in Truro.

Michael George Thom is pulled over with £6,640 in cash a short distance away.

May 23, 2011: Joseph Tucker is witnessed meeting with Ian Singleton at Knutsford Services.

June 8, 2011: Brian Callaghan and Michelle Mageean are seen meeting with John Fullard from Manchester at the Premier Inn at Quintrell Downs.

Mobile phone data shows that Joseph Tucker had been in contact with Callaghan and Mageean and Fullard with Ian Singleton.

http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk 26/6/2013