Twenty one jailed as major West Midlands drug gang dismantled
The members of the organised crime group has been jailed for a combined total of 165 years and seven months.
The group trafficked drugs from Merseyside to Warwickshire, the West Midlands, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
Throughout the investigation, led by Warwickshire Police Serious Organised Crime Unit, officers seized drugs with a street value of over £1.3million.
£10,000 in cash as well as 15 firearms - and associated ammunition - were also seized.
The 5 year investigation concluded last week when the final defendant was found not guilty of drug supply offences. In summing up, the judge estimated the gang transported 60kg of class A drugs during the period investigated.
The investigation ruled Christopher Reeve was head of the gang and he orchestrated the supply from Liverpool and the Bickerstaffe area. When he was not available, his partner Sarah Reeve would step in to run the operation.
Garvey Thompson, who despite being in prison, illegally obtained a phone to control the drug supply line into Warwickshire. There was also evidence he had planned for drugs to be delivered into the prison by drone.
Wayne Philpotts organised the distribution of drugs delivered to Nottingham and Neil Brewster in Coventry.
The investigation proved Christopher Reeve and Garvey Thompson were orchestrating this line between October 2017 and September 2018.
Officers analysed phone records that showed more than 14,000 communications took place between Reeve and the other defendants. The content of many of these was believed to be planning drug runs across the country.
Officers also managed to link many of these messages to trips made by the defendants which they believe were drug deliveries.
The longest sentence went to Christopher Reeve who was jailed for 17 years having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply controlled drugs and possession of a firearm.
Detective Sergeant Sarah Wolsey from Warwickshire Police said: “This was a long and complex investigation that has helped to bring down a major drug supply network worth millions of pounds.