Sixteen men sentenced after County Lines operation

Sixteen members of an organised criminal network who sought to flood the North East with cocaine and heroin have been jailed for a combined total of more than six decades.

Northumbria Police spearheaded Operation Girona, with the support of the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit (NEROCU) – which was a multi-force crackdown on a County Lines operation shipping Class A drugs across the north of England.

The complex and long-running investigation uncovered that almost five kilos of cocaine and heroin were distributed from the Cheshire and Merseyside areas between January 2018 and September 2020.

Ryan Hardwick and Kyle Jones operated as the masterminds of the network, with Luke Cain initially tasked with managing the County Line into the North East.

Joseph Garrigos and, later, Wesley McSween assumed this responsibility, and they were assisted by Serge Maudsley and Kevin Moore.

The group would rely upon a network of dealers in the North East, with the investigation determining almost £500,000 was generated through their illicit trading.

More than 100 officers from Cheshire, Durham, Merseyside and the North East Regional Organised Crime Unit were involved in carrying out the arrests in September 2020.

Faced with overwhelming evidence, 14 of the 16 men charged with various drugs offences each pleaded guilty.

Garrigos was found guilty following trial, while Moore was found guilty in his absence after absconding during his trial.

The below offenders were sentenced across three days at Newcastle Crown Court from Wednesday, January 22:

• Luke Cain, 35, of Ulnes Walton Lane, Preston, pleaded guilty to conspire to supply Class A drug and was jailed for five years and eight months.
• Ryan Corkhill, 22, of West Avenue, Murton, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying a Class A drug and was sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
• James Disley, 34, of Edenhurst Avenue, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspire to supply Class A drug and was jailed for six years.
• Joseph Garrigos, 37, of Somerest Place, Liverpool, was found guilty of conspire to supply Class A drug and was jailed for nine years.
• Ryan Hardwick, 36, of Ash Priors, Widnes, Cheshire, pleaded guilty to conspire to supply Class drug, conceal criminal property, and use or possess criminal property, and was jailed for 10 years and four months.
• Ben Hepple, 31, of Parsey Close, Easington, pleaded guilty to being concerned in supplying a Class A drug and was sentenced to 23 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
• Connor Hepple, 26, of Leech Court, Peterlee, pleaded guilty to being concerned in supplying a Class A drug (heroin) and was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
• Kyle Jones, 36, from the Merseyside area, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drug and was jailed for 11 years.
• Bradley Kenney, 25, from the Durham area, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supplying a Class A drug and was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
• Serge Maudsley, 28, of Castlefield Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspire to supply Class A drug and possession with intent to supply heroin and was jailed for four years.
• Wesley McSween, 39, of Ancroft Road, Liverpool, pleaded guilty to conspire to supply controlled drug Class A and was jailed for five years and four months.
• Brian Old, 52, of Wallace Gardens, Gateshead, pleaded guilty to being concern in supply of Class A drug, possession with intent to supply heroin, and acquire, use or possess criminal property, and was jailed for four years and one month.
• Steven Toward, 47, of St Cuthberts Court, Newcastle, pleaded guilty to being concerned in supply a Class A drug and was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
• Declan Williams, 24, of Thorpe Street, Easington, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of Class A drug and was jailed for three years and two months.

Darren Kay, 30, from the Durham area, pleaded guilty to being concerned in supply of Class A drug and appeared at Newcastle Crown Court on Wednesday, April 16, where he was sentenced to two years suspended for 18 months.

Kevin Moore, 44, of Woodford Road, Liverpool, was found guilty of to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and failure to appear at court, and appeared at the same court on the same day where he was sentenced to eight years and 14 days’ imprisonment.

Superintendent Jamie Pitt said:

This has been an incredibly long and complex investigation, and these sentences are the culmination of hundreds of hours of painstaking work from our officers and partners.

County Lines is a despicable practice which sees organised criminals seeking to profit from the most vulnerable members of our communities through the sale of highly destructive substances.

There is absolutely no place for this type of activity in the North East, and these sentences reinforce this stance and sends a clear message to those who think they can get away with this type of criminality.

No matter whether you work as a courier or as a key figure within an organised criminal network, we will do everything within our power to bring you before the courts to face justice.

County Lines can not be tackled in isolation and we will continue to work alongside our partners in law enforcement, the local authorities, and public health to bring offenders to justice and safeguard those in need.

I would also stress we need the support of our communities to stamp out this criminality – please report anything that looks suspicious and help us put a stop to County Lines activity.