Two Sandbach men jailed following large-scale movement of drugs into town
By The Editor
18th Aug 2023 | Local News
Two Sandbach men who aided the large-scale movement of class A drugs into South Cheshire, as well as four from Crewe - have been jailed for a total of over 33 years.
This is the second group of sentencings to take place as part of Operation Attached, an investigation launched by Cheshire Police into a class A drugs conspiracy led by an organised crime gang (OCG) in Crewe.
It is estimated this conspiracy brought between £459,300 and £742,340 worth of cocaine, heroin, and crack cocaine into Crewe and surrounding areas from Liverpool, between 27 October, 2021 and 10 November, 2022.
A total of 11 defendants pleaded guilty to being involved in the OCG.
Six were sentenced at Chester Crown Court between Thursday 10 August and Thursday 17 August for conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.
This included:
- Aaron Dodd, 31, formerly of Haslington, Crewe – Three years
- Alexander Sinclair, 27, formerly of Crewe – Five years, 10 months
- Jake Floyd, 30, formerly of Crewe – Seven years
- Robbie Hart, 29, formerly of, Crewe – Six years
- Daley Smith, 34, formerly of Sandbach – Six years
- Shadat Kagolo, 28, formerly of Sandbach – Five years, six months
A further five men, including the ringleader of the OCG, were previously sentenced on Friday 28 July for a total of more than 45 years.
The court was told that Floyd was established as having a deputy role in the conspiracy, assisting in orchestrating the movements and supply of large amounts of class A drugs.
He was also responsible for the storage of drugs and criminal proceeds.
On 3 June, 2022, Floyd was stopped and searched by police at Bridgemere Garden Centre, Nantwich, having been witnessed acting suspiciously.
Part way through the search, Floyd made off from police and discarded a bag, which was found to contain heroin and crack cocaine, as well as more than £5,000 in cash.
He was later arrested and released under investigation.
Floyd's address was subject to a search warrant on 13 June, 2022. More than £5,000 in cash was seized, along with 126g of drugs, worth up to £17,000.
Floyd was again arrested and charged with drugs supply offences and sentenced to five years under standalone offences forming part of the overall case.
This is inclusive of his total seven-year sentence.
Further down the hierarchy were Smith, Dodd, and Hart, who all assumed roles of couriers and street level dealers.
Between 12 November, 2021 and 2 February, 2022, officers identified Hart as a regular courier, travelling to Liverpool to collect class A drugs which he then delivered back to Crewe to be divided among the OCG.
On 2 February, 2022, surveillance officers from Cheshire Police observed Hart, Dodd, and Smith travelling around Crewe together in a van where they supplied drugs to numerous drugs users.
As a result of the observations, police stopped the van, arresting all three men. Hart was found in possession of crack cocaine and heroin, valued at £400, and a quantity of cash.
While they were in police custody, officers seized a car key from Smith's property which was attributed to a Vauxhall Insignia found parked in Church Lawton, Cheshire.
During a search of the vehicle, police seized a crisp bag concealing crack cocaine and heroin valued at nearly £15,500.
Sinclair and Kagolo were established to have been conducting a cocaine supply operation within Crewe, Sandbach, and surrounding areas.
They communicated with other members of the OCG to assist in obtaining class A drugs from Liverpool.
Between 22 March, 2022 and 1 July, 2022, the pair – who were already established cocaine dealers - were brought into the operation and given access to the OCG's upstream supplier in Liverpool.
After gathering evidence against all six men, Cheshire Police conducted warrants across Crewe, Sandbach, and Liverpool on 10 November 2022.
As a result of these, Smith, Sinclair and Kagolo were arrested and subsequently charged with conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin.
Dodd, Floyd, and Hart were produced, arrested, and charged for the same offences.
Detective Inspector Nick Henderson of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit said: "These latest sentences are a great result.
"Added to the 45 years collectively handed down to further OCG members last month, this brings the total sentences as part of Operation Attached to more than 78 years.
"The offenders were seen to transport, store, and deal a large amount of class A drugs in Crewe and surrounding areas.
"But our officers worked tirelessly throughout this investigation to bring these men to justice, gathering a catalogue of evidence.
"While these men are now behind bars, our fight against illegal drugs is never over.
"We will continue to combat this behaviour to protect the communities we serve.
"Anyone with any information about drug related activity should get in touch via our website or 101."
Three other men who were also involved in the conspiracy for a short period have been sentenced previously under separate offences.
Robert Wilding, 35, formerly of Valley Road, Crewe, and Peter Turner, 53, formerly of Stalbridge Road, Crewe, were used to obtain drugs from Liverpool.
Robert Slater, 45, formerly of Lime Close, Sandbach, was used as a courier.
Wilding was arrested on 19 March 2022 while transporting class A drugs into Crewe.
A quarter of a kilogram of cocaine was located in the van he was driving, with a street value of up to £35,200.
He was later charged and sentenced to three years for possession of cocaine with intent to supply on 27 April 2022.
Turner was travelling in a vehicle which was stopped on the M6 returning from Liverpool on 21 March 2022 and was found to be concealing drugs.
He was sentenced to 16 months for possession with intent to supply heroin and crack cocaine on 11 November 2022.
During the afternoon of 1 July 2022, Slater travelled to Liverpool where police observed him being supplied with 1kg of cocaine, with a street value of up to £153,300, and 1,200 street wraps of heroin and crack cocaine, valued at £12,000.
Slater was stopped on the M62 and officers located the cocaine concealed in a washing powder box.
He was arrested and sentenced to six years for possession with intent to supply class A drugs on 9 August 2022.
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