Sheffield gang leader and his right-hand man used vulnerable children to sell drugs in Derbyshire

Nathaniel Brown, of Rainbow Place, in Hackenthorpe, Sheffield, headed up a gang which exploited youngsters to sell thousands of pounds worth of drugs across Chesterfield and the Derbyshire Dales.

Joshua Newbould, of Lime Road, Eckington, was his trusted accomplice who carried out the day-to-day dealings between May 2023 and February 2024.

The children would deliver the drugs by leaving them under door mats, on car tyres and even posting them through letterboxes.

Police caught up with Brown and Newbould in June 2023, stopping a Mercedes the pair were using in Renishaw.

Drug dealer rammed police car in bid to escape

Newbould, who was disqualified from drving at the time, rammed the police car in a bid to evade capture, while Brown ran off.

They were both arrested, and subsequently released on bail, with several mobile phones and a lock knife being found in the car and seized.

In October 2023, with the duo still on bail, officers pursued an Audi which was being driven dangerously through Chesterfield, mounting pavements and heading into oncoming traffic.

The car was found shortly afterwards at a business centre in Barrow Hill, with Newbould and Brown seen by witnesses taking items from the boot.

Officers were told the pair were arguing before throwing a bag into nearby bushes, and a bag containing 15 bags of cocaine, cash and a mobile phone was recovered.

Drug dealer lists showed extent of operation

One of the phones was found to be a drug dealers line phone. Two dealer lists were also found – one showing individual deals and small sums of cash up to £200, while the second list represented ounces of drugs and thousands of pounds.

Specialist officers from the Organised Crime Group team began investigating the pair and their homes were raided in February 2024, with police finding cash, drugs and weapons.

Brown and Newbould were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs and acquire, use, or have possession of criminal property. Newbould was also charged with driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, and possession of a bladed article.

They initially denied the offences but entered guilty pleas on the first day of their trial at Derby Crown Court on August 12.

Brown, aged 35, was jailed for six years and three months, with 24-year-old Newbould sentenced to five years and four months in prison.

Dealers showed ‘no regard’ for the law

Sentencing them, Judge Jonathan Bennett said the operation had been a nine-month conspiracy involving two men who were stopped six times but continued to ‘act as if nothing happened’.

Detective Constable Craig Chidlow, who led the investigation, said: “These two men have shown absolutely no regard whatsoever for the law throughout this, continuing to deal drugs even while on bail as officers worked to build the strongest possible case against them.

“The fact they recruited children to their operation shows the lengths they were willing to go to carry out their dealing.

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“Both Newbould and Brown showed signs of unexplained wealth in the form of high value clothing, jewellery and bundles of cash.

“We’re now be looking to pursue a Proceeds of Crime Act case to seize the assets and items they have purchased using this drugs money.

“I’d like to thank all the officers involved in this case for helping to take these two dangerous individuals off the streets. This has been a long-running investigation involving many teams and I am grateful to all those involved.”