Group of drug dealers jailed
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A group of drug dealers who supplied millions of pounds worth of cocaine in the West Midlands have been jailed.
Martin Brown, Mark Cheadle, Paul Paterson and James Piotrowski were all jailed earlier this week for their part in a major drugs conspiracy.
A major investigation by ROCUWM officers uncovered the four transporting hundreds of kilos of cocaine from London and Bedfordshire and distributing them throughout the Midlands.
On 10 November 2022, a van hired by the group was stopped by officers on the M6, where 130 kilos of cocaine were found in the back.
The driver, Martin Brown, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.
The cocaine in the van was in green refuse sacks and the blocks themselves stamped with the Latin phrase "alea iacta est" or "the die is cast".
The arrest of Brown led officers to Piotrowski, who was arrested on the same day with 10 kilos of cocaine found in his van.
The cocaine found was identical to that found in Brown's van, with the same Latin words stamped on the packaging.
Mark Cheadle and Paul Patterson were later arrested after they were identified as the people who supplied the drugs to Brown and Piotrowski.
Following an extensive investigation, all four defendants were charged and jailed on 14 August.
Cheadle, Patterson and Brown were charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs, while Piotrowski was charged with being concerned in the supply of class As.
Their sentences were as follows:
- Mark Cheadle, 57, of Ridgmont, Bedfordshire, jailed for 15 years 2 months
- Paul Patterson, 43, of Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, jailed for 12 years 9 months
- Martin Brown, 40, of Foster Road, Coventry, jailed for 13 years 7 months
- James Piotrowski, 40, of Trescott Road, Birmingham, jailed for 6 years