Seven men, many with links to Ashfield, have been jailed for a total of 49 years after being convicted of their part in a multi-million pound drug supply operation. Officers from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit say that the charges related to 22 deliveries of drugs, with a value of £2.2 million.
The downfall of the gang’s activities started on 5 January 2023, when officers stopped a car in Mappleton Drive, Mansfield. Two half kilo blocks of heroin were seized and a suspect arrested.
Following that arrest, a series of search warrants were executed between January and March 2023, at premises in Hucknall, Bulwell, Edwinstowe, Radcliffe-on-Trent, and elsewhere. These warrants led to further drugs seizures and arrests.
Police say that “vast amounts of cocaine and heroin were supplied and then distributed in Nottinghamshire during the large-scale operation, which ran between June 2022 and January 2023.”
The extensive investigation focused on two organised crime groups (OCG) from Manchester and Nottinghamshire. Members of the OCGs used different mobile phones to arrange the movement, storage, and sale of controlled drugs.
The head of the Nottingham-based OCG, Mark Malone, 36, who currently resides at HMP Peterborough, pleaded to being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug and possession of a firearm and ammunition. He will be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 30 July.
Police say that Malone organised the purchase and movement of large quantities of cocaine and heroin.
The head of the Manchester-based OCG, Andrew Ratcliffe, 41, formerly of The Ropeway in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, was yesterday (Thursday) jailed for 12 years after admitting three charges of conspiring to supply a Class A drug in Nottinghamshire.
The second in command of the Nottinghamshire OCG, Michael Lawrence, 35, of Garden Crescent in South Normanton, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class A drug at Mappleton Drive in Mansfield and was jailed for 11 years and seven months.
Zak Jackson, 27, of Vernon Road in Kirkby-in-Ashfield, also pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class A drug at Mappleton Drive in Mansfield. He was jailed for eight years.
Daniel Busuttil, 33, of Grange Park Road in Manchester, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to supply a Class A drug and to a further count of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug at Mappleton Drive in Mansfield. He, too, received an eight year sentence.
George Turner, 35, of Storth Avenue in Hucknall, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class A drug, acquiring criminal property, namely cash, and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug. He was jailed for six years and nine months.
James Morledge, 38, of Chatsworth Avenue in Radcliffe-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis in Nottinghamshire between 2 September 2022 and 14 February 2023. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
The youngest gang member sentenced as part of this investigation is Tyler George, 21, of East Lane in Edwinstowe. He pleaded guilty to supplying a Class A drug and was given a 21 month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He was also ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.
DChI Mark Adas, former EMSOU senior investigating officer, and now working with Nottinghamshire Police, said: “Our case was that the Manchester group, on 22 occasions, supplied an overall potential street value of £2.2 million.
“We hope these sentences passed by the judge send out a clear and stark message to those currently involved in drug supply, or those who are considering it, that they won’t get away with it, they will be caught, and they will be brought to justice.
“I’d like to commend the meticulous work of the investigation team whose hard work led to the dismantling of these OCG’s whose serious criminality was a blight on our communities and posed a real risk to vulnerable people.
“Some of those sentenced led lavish cash-rich lifestyles, profiting from the misery of the people they exploited. I’m pleased they have now been taken off our streets and can no longer benefit from their harmful criminal activities.”
