Eleven men sentenced over links to £1.6m Derbyshire drugs probe

Eleven men including nine from north Derbyshire, the Peak District and the High Peak have now been sentenced after they were linked to a £1.6 million drugs probe.
COURT: Court CaseCOURT: Court Case
COURT: Court Case

Leicester Crown Court heard how the men were linked to a gang which was convicted after a trial at the court in October for connections to drug-related offences including possessing or supplying drugs such as amphetamines, diazepam and cannabis and converting criminal property.

Those found guilty by a jury included Glen Martin, 47, of Highfield Lane, Chesterfield, Dean Wilson, 28, of Eccles Close, Hope Valley, Steven Crossland, 38, of Albion Road, New Mills, and Gavin Logan, 28, of Hayton Avenue, South Shields.

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Others who pleaded guilty included Dean Hollis, 52, of Manor Road, Chesterfield, Elliot Hopewell, 31, of Spinkhill Road, Renishaw, Nicholas Seville, 33, of Edge View, Great Longstone, Bakewell, Leigh Price, 33, of Derby Road, Draycott, Steven Armitt, 34, of Cliff Road, Buxton, Aaron Hamilton, 19, of Dakin Avenue, Buxton, and Andrew Bradley, 36, of Windsor Grove, Buxton.

Derbyshire Constabulary seized £50,000 in cash, over £30,000 in drugs and a spreadsheet relating to alleged drugs and contraband transactions worth over £1m during its Operation Chromium investigation.

Officers carried out raids and the accused were charged in May, last year. Police claimed the gang was linked to over £1.6m of takings.

Following a Leicester Crown Court hearing on November 21, Crossland was found guilty of possessing heroin with intent to supply and not guilty of conspiracy to convert criminal property. He was jailed for four years.

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Hamilton admitted conspiracy to convert criminal property and was fined £2,500.

Bradley pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing amphetamine, and possession of cannabis and was found not guilty of conspiracy to convert criminal property. He was fined £620.

Logan was found guilty of conspiracy to convert criminal property and was given an 18-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months and a three-month curfew.

Hamilton, Bradley and Logan must pay £150, £100 and £200 costs respectively.

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Other defendants were sentenced during a hearing on Friday, November 28, and include the following.

Hollis was given an 18 month prison sentence suspended for 2 years and 150 hours’ community service for conspiring to convert criminal property.

Armitt was given a prison sentence of two years and eight months for conspiring to convert criminal property.

Seville was given a 20 month prison sentence for conspiring to convert criminal property and 20 months concurrently for conspiring to supply amphetamine.

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Wilson was given a prison sentence of two years six months for conspiring to convert criminal property.

Price was given a prison sentence of two years and three months for conspiring to convert criminal property and six months for supplying Subutex. He was also sentenced for other drug matters in Derby. His total sentence was three years and three months.

Martin was sentenced to three years for conspiring to convert criminal property.

Hopewell was sentenced to six years for conspiring to convert criminal property and two years concurrently for possessing amphetamine with intent to supply.

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The jury was unable to reach a verdict on other charges of conspiracy to convert criminal property to the value of £13,600 against Neil Ogden, 44, of Oker Avenue, Darley Dale, and Kevin Brough, 55, of Hallcroft, Middleton-by-Wirksworth, and charges of conspiracy to convert criminal property to the value of £87,500 against Neil Ogden and David Atkinson, 47, of The Croft, Beckingham, Doncaster. A retrial on these charges is expected.

The jury was also unable to reach a verdict on a charge of conspiracy to supply amphetamine against Neil Ogden and Stephen Ogden, 66, of Oker Avenue, Darley Dale, and a retrial is expected regarding this matter.