County lines gang jailed for 35 years

A gang who were selling thousands of pounds worth of heroin and cocaine across Leicestershire have been jailed for a total of 35 years.

Ten men, aged between 18 and 25, were part of a county lines gang operating across the city and county.

They were storing and selling class A drugs in a number of premises, known as trap houses – mainly in the Loughborough area, using at least seven dedicated phone lines for buyers to order their gear.

More than 20 drug runners across Loughborough were also being used by the gang to carry out deals on the town’s streets. Many of them have already been sentenced for their role.

The gang were among 113 people detained as part of Leicestershire Police’s Operation Lionheart – aimed at tackling the sale and distribution of class A drugs in the force area.  

During the 12 months leading up to the arrest phase of the operation, runners for the line supplied cocaine and heroin on 41 different occasions, as part of a covert operation.

Nine of the 10 men also directly sold a total of 26 times.

In total the combined weight of drugs sold and seized during the arrest of the men was just over half a kilo, at a value of more than £15,000.

During the sentencing hearing, James Thomas, prosecuting, said: “The supplies made must amount to a snapshot of the overall business of the defendants.”

At Leicester Crown Court today (8 October) the group were sentenced for their part in the selling and distributing of class A drugs after previously pleading guilty to the offences.

They were individually sentenced to:

• Tapiwa Chokufa, 25, of no fixed address; four years and four months
• Lee Ryan Smith, 24, of Ranger Close, Leicester; three years and eight months
• Musawenklosi Nyathi, 24, of Cherrybrook Close, Leicester; three years and nine months
• Reece Page, 21, of Dupont Gardens, Leicester; three years
• Qmar Riley, 21, of Faversham Close, Leicester; three years and two months
• Tomas Esteves, 19, of Beaumont Leys Lane during the time of the offences; three years and seven months
• Mason Cooper, 19, of Cross Hedge Close, Leicester; two years
• Sebastian Garner, 19, of no fixed address; four years and four months
• Iakam Hassan, 18, of Billington Close, Leicester; three years and eight months
• Malachi Quintyne-Bayliss, 18, of no fixed address; three years and six months

Nine of the men were charged with two counts of conspiracy and one man, Mason Cooper, was charged with one count.

Garner also pleaded guilty to possessing a shotgun and cartridges when prohibited – eight months of his total sentence is for this offence.

Six months of Smith’s total sentence was given for dangerous driving on 19 July last year. He will also be banned from driving for 12 months following his release from prison.

An extra three months was also added to Nythai’s term for breach of a suspended sentence.

Detective Chief Inspector Dharmendra Bhakta, who led the operation, said: “These 10 individuals were masterminding a drugs network in Leicestershire - using a number of properties and people in an effort to sell large amounts of cocaine and heroin and enhance their criminal gain.

“Today’s sentencing is down to months of hard work by the Operation Lionheart investigation team to gather significant evidence on the gang and it’s thanks to their efforts these men are no longer able to sell drugs on our streets.

“Drugs wreck lives and cause devastation to communities – not only to those who are purchasing the drugs but the people who live in areas where this type of criminality is occurring.

"We would urge the public to carry on reporting activity relating to county lines and the selling of drugs so police can continue to take action and target those responsible.”