Sheffield drugs gang 'sent mass marketing messages to phones' advertising class A drugs
Gang members from Sheffield who helped flood Chesterfield with drugs have been jailed, after their gang sent mass marketing messages to phones advertising their illegal wares.
Four people from Sheffield were among six men who dealt Class A drugs, including heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine in Chesterfield between May and November last year, who have now been jailed at Derby Crown Court.
The gang ran their drug dealing operation by sending out mass marketing messages to people’s phones advertising the sale of class A drugs.
Drug users then responded directly to the number requesting a purchase, said Derbyshire Constabulary.
The holder of the phone line then organised for the illegal substances to be sent to the user via a drug runner.
The gang ran a County Lines drug dealing operation – called the ‘Geo Line’ – in which they transported drugs across the South Yorkshire/Derbyshire border between Sheffield and Chesterfield.
Police say they used electric motorbikes to transport illegal substances around and also used the homes of vulnerable people as a base to deal drugs – a practice known as cuckooing.
But their drug dealing empire came crashing down following a lengthy and complex investigation led by Derbyshire police called Operation Abbeymead.
The six men were arrested and charged for their part in the drug dealing conspiracy.
They all pleaded guilty and were handed prison sentences totalling more than 27 years at Derby Crown Court on Friday, July 25.
The gang members are:
> Reece Wales (25), of Lindsay Avenue, Sheffield, admitted two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He was jailed for six years and nine months.
> Deran Musgrove-Hill (23), of Cornwall Drive, Brimington, Chesterfield, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs, one count of possession of criminal property, possession of a knife in a public place and possession of an offensive weapon in a public place. He was handed a six year and one month prison sentence.
> Callum Grundy (19), of Margetson Drive, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs and possession of criminal property. He received a jail sentence of five years and one month.
> Kyle Rosevear (19), of Orphanage Road, Sheffield, admitted three counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs. He was jailed for three years and seven months.
> James Paling (19), of Birch Avenue, Sheffield, admitted two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs and received a jail sentence of three years and five months.
> Scott Holman (47), of Bourne Close, Brimington, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiring to supply Class A drugs. He was handed a two-year suspended prison sentence.
Detective Constable Leonie Hitchmough, who was part of the investigation team that brought the drug dealing gang to justice, said: “Drugs devastate communities, and this group fed into that misery by supplying a large amount of illegal substances into the county.
“These individuals preyed on vulnerable people, used vehicles and technology to run their drug dealing operation.
“This was a complex investigation and we are pleased to see that this gang have been handed lengthy prison sentences and their drug dealing operation dismantled.
“The team hopes that this serves as a warning to other drug dealing gangs – the law will always catch-up with you in the end.”