Eight men have been jailed for a total of more than 44 years for plotting to supply cocaine in Thirsk.
The court heard that the men had been involved in the sale of drugs in Thirsk between July 2011 and February 2012.
Officers uncovered the conspiracy after finding evidence of drugs supply during an examination of a mobile telephone belonging to Nathaniel Thomas Hollywood.
As the investigation progressed, officers seized £22,000 in cash from Wilson’s home In Leeds along with £10,000 worth of cocaine.
John David Wilson, aged 38, from Leeds, and Robert Leslie Sargent, aged 29, from Thirsk, were both found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs on 13 June 2013 following a trial at Teesside Crown Court.
Today (5 July 2013) they were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment each .
Samuel Jacob Benjamin, 21, Scott Alan Clark, 23, Nathaniel Thomas Hollywood, 27, Thomas James McDowell, 19, Daniel Robert Sargent, 22, Brett Anthony Waterston, 26, Stuart John Wright, 23, and Darren Paul Wrightson, 27, all pleaded guilty to the same charge at an earlier hearing.
Jordan Henry Easby, 19 pleaded guilty to and was charged with ‘concerned in the supply of a class A drug’ on a single occasion, when he was asked be a look out while a deal was made.
Wrightson was jailed for seven years and one month, Daniel Sargent was jailed for five years and four months, Clark was sent down for four years and eight months, while Benjamin and Wright were each jailed for three years and McDowell was imprisoned for two years.
Waterston and Easby were both given suspended nine month jail sentences.
Nathaniel Hollywood was remanded in custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
Detective Inspector Darrin Knight, of North Yorkshire Police, said:
These men were involved in a large scale conspiracy, bringing cocaine from Leeds and supplying it in Thirsk.
They operated a business model linking supply and demand to a product and invested a great deal of time and resource into covertly transporting large quantities of cocaine into the county.
Hollywood used Robert Sergeant to control the street dealers and collect the money, whilst John Wilson supplied Hollywood with the drugs from Leeds.
They operated this system over a lengthy period of time and made significant sums of money, all of which is now subject to applications for confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
Today’s sentences show just how seriously the police and the justice system take the supply of Class A drugs in our communities.
I hope this serves as a strong message to anyone involved in the supply of drugs in North Yorkshire that we will catch you, you will face a long prison sentence if found guilty and we will confiscate any benefit you received from your illegal activity.
