Drug dealer from Birmingham jailed for 16 years for supplying cocaine and cannabis
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A Birmingham man has been jailed for 16 years for orchestrating the movement of large quantities of Class A drugs including cocaine and cannabis throughout the West Midlands and the South West of England.
At Worcester Crown Court last September, Patrick Reilly pleaded guilty to two charges of conspiracy to supply cocaine and conspiracy to supply cannabis. On February 14 he appeared back at the same court and was sentenced to 16 years behind bars.
Reilly, aged 40, from Harborne, was caught following a Regional Organised Crime Unit West Midlands (ROCUWM) investigation into the cross-border supply of cocaine and cannabis.
The operation took place between October and November 2020 and focused on the criminal activities of Reilly.
Officers from ROCU seized 7 kilograms of cocaine and 22 kilograms of cannabis as well as £40,000 in cash during the one-month period. On one occasion on 28 October 2020 officers stopped a car in Taunton in Somerset and discovered four kilograms of cocaine in the vehicle wrapped in a children’s ‘Mega Blok’ bag.
DC Paul Lawlor, from ROCUWM, who led the investigation, said: “This was a significant seizure of both Class A and Class B drugs. Reilly was playing a leading role supplying parts of the South West of England with large quantities of both Class A and B drugs.
“This is part of our ongoing work to target organised criminal activity including drugs networks across the West Midlands and this will carry on as part of Op Target. We’re focused on those thought to be involved in the highest levels of organised crime across our region. Reilly’s sentence sends out a clear warning to others intent on supplying Class A and B drugs – we simply won’t tolerate it.”
Operation Target sees us taking a defiant stand against a range of serious and organised crime offences – from drug dealing and burglary to cyber crime and fraud.
Officers will be using local intelligence, seizing goods, carrying out warrants and targeting offenders as part of Op Target’s ongoing crackdown against serious and organised crime.