Twelve men have been sentenced for drugs offences after officers from the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and South West ROCU smashed a nationwide drug operation netting millions of pounds.
The organised crime group were running drugs from cannabis factories in Merseyside and Birmingham down to Torquay, headed up by Jamie Hadley from Kingstanding in Birmingham.
Officers were already investigating a suspected drug dealer when they were alerted to suspicious activity in September 2021. A taxi driver from Birmingham drove to Torquay to collect a package from two men in Isaac’s Road and the next day another man drove from Birmingham to deliver a package to the same location.
Investigations later revealed the first package was cash and the second a large quantity of cannabis.
As officers began to keep track of those involved, a car was tracked from Birmingham to Liverpool in early October 2021, a location later revealed as a huge cannabis factory. The next day a car left the address in Liverpool and was stopped by police en route to Birmingham. The driver was arrested and the car was found to contain 12 kilograms of cannabis worth up to £58,000, and an even greater street value of £117,000.
Just two days later another car was stung on the M6 as it joined the M5 Southbound, with the two occupants making off on foot. One was arrested following a foot chase and the other travelled several miles on foot. He was tracked by traffic officers and dog handlers to a local pizza shop and detained. Police found a kilogram of cocaine in a sleeping bag in the car with a street value of £100,000.
Phones seized from those arrested linked them to other members of the group and in November 2021 three more men were arrested – two in Torquay and one in Liverpool where cannabis and cash were seized.
In January 2022 a warrant was executed at a residential property in Hale Road, Widnes, where an industrial size cannabis factory was found and a man hiding in the loft. The yield from the crop was estimated at over £600,000 and a farm that size was capable of four crops a year.
A warrant the following day in a vacant three storey commercial property in Bradford Street, Digbeth revealed another cannabis factory containing 3112 plants worth up to a staggering £1,300,000. Three men were arrested trying to run from the back of the property.
And just a stone’s throw away at a derelict factory at the junction of Birchall Street and Cheapside another 2678 plants were found with evidence of many more hastily removed the night before.
Days later a Ford C-Max travelled from Kingstanding onto the M6 north where traffic officers attempted to stop it. The vehicle made off at over 110mph before attempting to leave the motorway and colliding with a traffic light, before coming to a stop. Both occupants fled, but were caught by pursuing officers. The vehicle was found to contain several large bags, holding 42 kilograms of cannabis.
Detective Constable Sam Blackburn, from West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: “The scale of this enterprise had the potential to net the group millions of pounds, but in collaboration with our counterparts at South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, we tracked their movements to identify those involved and put them before the courts.
“Drugs and the associated criminality ruins lives, and we are determined to bring offenders to justice.”
DCI Adam Smith of SWROCU added: “This joint investigation by SWROCU and WMROCU demonstrates the strength of the ROCU network in dismantling criminal networks and protecting communities.
“It’s thanks to meticulous detective work and exceptional digital forensics that we have been able to deprive this organised crime group of their illegal commodity and their freedom.”
The defendants have been sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court between 10th to 12th September as follows: **Patrik Quarless was sentenced at a previous hearing.
• Jamie Hadley, aged 32 of Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, principal organiser with overall control pleaded guilty to 3 counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis, production of cannabis and possession of criminal property (£15,000 cash) at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to a total of 11 years and 9 months imprisonment.
• Christopher Madden, aged 30 of Waterlily Close, Cannock, second in command to Hadley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus a rehabilitation order and unpaid work requirement.
• Toi Banh, aged 37 of Masshouse Plaza, Birmingham, money laundering organiser for Hadley, pleaded guilty to 2 counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis and transferring criminal property (monies) at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 8 years and 2 months imprisonment.
• Collum Keyes, aged 37 of Knightwick Crescent, Birmingham, cannabis courier, was found guilty of conspiracy to produce cannabis following a trial earlier this year. He was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.
• Daniel Beattie, aged 24 of Morcroft Road, Liverpool, cocaine courier, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine following a trial earlier this year. He was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment.
• Patrik Quarless, aged 24 of Graburn Road, Formby, cocaine courier. Quarless pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison.
• Lee Bailey, aged 51 of Meadway, Birmingham, cannabis courier pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus a mental health treatment order and an unpaid work requirement.
• An Toung Phan, aged 29 of no fixed address, cannabis courier, was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cannabis following trial. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and forfeiture of £820.
• Joshua Fullerton, aged 28 of Lincombe Drive, Torquay, organiser and controller of class B drugs and money laundering criminality in the Torquay area, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing and was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine following a trial earlier this year. He was sentenced to a total of 7 years and 7 months imprisonment.
• Dean Isaac, aged 35 of Lymington Road, Torquay, cannabis distributor in Torquay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 3 years and 9 months imprisonment.
• Craig Bentick, aged 26 of Fonthill Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool, cannabis distributor in Torquay pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 2 years imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus a rehabilitation order and unpaid work requirement.
• Joshua Turner, aged 30 of Hurlingham Road, Birmingham, courier between Birmingham and Torquay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order, with a rehabilitation order and unpaid work requirement.
• Rizwan Khan, aged 43 of Watney Grove, Birmingham, courier between Birmingham and Torquay, pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property (monies) at an earlier hearing and will be sentenced on 24th September 2024.