Cocaine gang members get 73 years in jail

MEMBERS of a drug ring which supplied thousands of pounds worth of cocaine to Ellesmere Port streets, have been jailed for a total of 73 years.

Following a two-year operation by Cheshire Police Crime Operations Unit, code named Operation Barometer, 20 members of the gang were sentenced for their part in the operation at Chester Crown Court.

Sentences ranged from six months to nine years for gang members, whose large-scale distribution also took in Merseyside, North Wales, West Mercia, Manchester and Cumbria.

The convictions brought Operation Barometer to a successful conclusion, after it initially began in Spring 2010 before swooping to make arrests in October 2011.

Det Insp Sarah Pengelly, of the Cheshire Police Crime Operations Unit, said: “Operation Barometer was the result of months of intelligence gathering in relation to the activities of these individuals.

“Members of the gang have shown a blatant disregard for the law with little or no thought behind the potential implications of their illegal activities.

“We hope that the lengthy sentences handed down to the defendants will act as a deterrent to others.

“We also hope that the successful conclusion to this operation will reassure members of the public that we are actively targeting and successfully prosecuting those involved in the supply and distribution of illegal drugs.

“Illegal drugs have no place in Cheshire and we will continue to work alongside colleagues from other forces to track down those responsible for this type of crime and bring them to justice.”

Of the convicted, four of the key figures in the ring were from the Ellesmere Port area: Simon Howard, 44, Andrew Knox, 40, Lee Jones, 32, and Carl Mattison, 38.

They were jailed for a total of 33 years.

In May of this year, Knox, of Camden Road, and Jones, of Spunhill Avenue, were both jailed for eight years and eight months for their part in the supplying of cocaine and overseeing the setting up of a cannabis farm in North Wales, while Mattison, of Swale Road, was given six years and eight months for his role in the supplying of the class A drug, cocaine.

Howard, of Woolton Court, was sentenced to a total of nine years for his pivotal role in the gang and a charge of affray after he threatened an arresting police officer with a 10in knife when police smashed down the door of his former address on Aire Road in a dawn raid last year.

On Friday, Chester Crown Court heard that Knox, Mattison and Howard would meet clients to conduct business at locations across Ellesmere Port, including the Yeoman Pub in Little Sutton, the Blue Planet Aquarium car park and the Rossmore Industrial Estate.

On jailing Howard for nine years, Judge David Hale told the defendant, who was able to afford expensive items such as an Audi A4 and a Chanel watch worth over £7,000, that he must accept the penalty for actions that he conducted ‘for no other reason other than profit’.

Insp Brian Green, of Ellesmere Port NPU, said: “Drug distribution and use is a blight on our communities and we are committed to tackling drug related activity in Ellesmere Port.

“Our cause is assisted when members of our community provide information and intelligence about those involved in drug dealing.

“Information from members of the public is vital in the fight against drug related crime and we would urge the people of Cheshire to support the efforts of local officers.

“Anyone with any information in relation to suspected drug use or supply is urged to call Cheshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”