Further eight men jailed for drug offences following police operation

A policing operation which uncovered drug dealing gangs operating between Leicestershire and the West Midlands has led to a further eight men being jailed.

Steven Merrick, Sean O’Farrell, Thomas Higginson, Michael York, Paul Meek, Peter Tomkowicz, Damien Haswell and Daniel Barlow were all sentenced at Leicester Crown Court on Friday (1 May) to a total of 47 years imprisonment for conspiracy to supply class A drugs (cocaine).

 

Top row from left to right: Steven Merrick, Sean O’Farrell, Thomas Higginson, Michael York

Bottom row from left to right: Paul Meek, Peter Tomkowicz, Damien Haswell, Daniel Barlow

 

The sentencings follow from April last year (2025) when another eight men were sentenced to a total of more than 60 years imprisonment after all pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs in relation to the same policing operation.

Evidence gathered by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) during the investigation, which dates back to 2023, showed Merrick, O’Farrell and Higginson to be involved in a West Midlands - largely Coventry - based group who supplied wholesale quantities of cocaine.

York, Meek, Tomkowicz, Haswell and Barlow were all found to be involved in a group based in Barwell and Hinckley in Leicestershire, obtaining cocaine from the West Midlands-based group and then supplying this onto ‘customers’.

Enquiries were carried out by the investigation team to fully establish the roles of those involved and to gather evidence of the offending.

Merrick was found to be a courier of wholesale quantities of cocaine but was also involved in street-dealing. More than £12,000 in cash was recovered from Merrick’s address following his arrest and images of cocaine were found on his phone.

Images of cocaine found on Merrick's phone

 

The investigation also uncovered messages exchanged between Higginson and O’Farrell which discussed the supply of cocaine. Images of cocaine were found on Higginson’s phone – including wholesale quantities in the process of being broken up.

Evidence of meetings between defendants was also gathered. This included evidence of a meeting in Coventry in June 2023 when O’Farrell and Higginson approached a vehicle, delivering cocaine to Meek and Tomkowicz who were inside.

Meek was also found to be involved in multiple cocaine deliveries on 22 June 2023 and evidence, including phone messages, showed him being further involved in the supply of cocaine to users.

Phone evidence also showed Tomkowicz as being involved in the supply of cocaine to users.

York was found to be a point of contact to provide cocaine to ‘runners’ and himself delivering significant wholesale quantities of cocaine. He was found to be trusted with access to stores of cocaine and handling large amounts of cash.

Images of a ‘dealer list’ and of bundles of cash were found on his phone and, on his arrest in August 2023, he was found to be in possession of £1,045 cash and 15.10g of cocaine.

Haswell was found to be involved in the conspiracy on a number of dates acting as a courier, while messages showed Barlow to be involved in the collection of cash and cocaine in August 2023.

Police enforcement activity took place between May 2023 and April 2024 leading to all the defendants being charged in April 2024.

The sentences passed to the defendants on Friday were:

• Merrick, 33, formerly of Greville Road, Warwick, was sentenced to seven years and seven months imprisonment after pleading guilty in September 2024 to conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• O’Farrell, 36, formerly of Lillington Road, Coventry, was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment after pleading guilty in September 2024 to conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• Higginson, 31, formerly of Henley Road, Coventry, was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment, after pleading guilty in September 2024 to conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• York, 34, formerly of Devitt Way, Broughton Astley, Leicestershire, was sentenced to six years and three months imprisonment after pleading guilty in September 2024 to conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
• Meek, 40, formerly of Newlands Road, Barwell, Leicestershire, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment after being found guilty in February 2026 following trial of conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• Tomkowicz, 47, formerly of Newlands Road, Barwell, Leicestershire, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment after being found guilty in February 2026 following trial of conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• Haswell, 40, formerly of Kirkby Road, Barwell, Leicestershire, was sentenced to four years and 11 months imprisonment after pleading guilty in January 2026 to conspiracy to supply class A drugs
• Barlow, 31, formerly of Borrowdale Close, Earl Shilton, Leicestershire, was sentenced to five years and three months imprisonment after pleading guilty in August 2024 to conspiracy to supply class A drugs

 

Detective Sergeant Chris Sewell said: “Drug offending of this kind has huge impacts on our communities. We will continue to take gather information and intelligence and to take action against those who offend in this way. The people involved here believed they could freely operate without being brought to account or to face responsibility for their actions.

“My thanks do go to the investigating team involved who showed a huge amount of dedication, skill and effort in making sure that these offenders were brought before the courts.

“Please do continue to report any information you have in relation to drug offending to us to help us continue to detect these crimes and to bring those responsible to justice.

“You can report online at www.leics.police.uk or by calling 101. Always call 999 in an emergency.”