Six members of Gorleston organised crime group jailed
They face a total of 27 years in prison for cocaine distribution
Six members of an organised crime group (OCG), based in Gorleston, have been sentenced to a total of 27 years in prison, for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
It follows a complex operation by Norfolk Police's Serious Organised Crime Unit, which seized a huge haul of class-A drugs estimated to be worth more than £1.3 million
Ashley Youngman, 34, of Cliff Hill, Gorleston was sentenced today (Monday 10 November 2025) at Norwich Crown Court, after previously pleading guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
He was sentenced to 8 years and 6 months imprisonment
Five other members of the OCG, who also admitted their part in the conspiracy to supply cocaine, were sentenced at the same hearing.
Hayder Gilgil, 20, of Anchor Court, Great Yarmouth was sentenced to 4 years imprisonment
Dominic Wilkins, 25, of South Quay, Great Yarmouth was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment
Ben French, 49, Of Fritton Close, Lowestoft, was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment
Joe Drysdale, 31, of Beavans Court, Great Yarmouth was sentenced to 3 years 6 months imprisonment
Michael Rushmer, 34, of HMP Norwich, was sentenced to 2 years 8 months imprisonment
Another member of the group, Mark Kane, aged 43, of Coronilla Green, Gorleston will be sentenced at the same court on Friday 21 November 2025.
Operation Accent ran between March 2024 and August 2024 and focused on the large scale cocaine distribution by an OCG based in Gorleston.
On 1 August 2024 a planned operation at a property on John Road in Gorleston ended with the arrest of Mark Kane and Ashley Youngman as well as their co-conspirators. Upon entering the property, at least 10 kilos of high purity cocaine was discovered with an estimated street value of £1 million.
During the course of the investigation it came to light that some drugs would also be hidden in 'stash sites' (remote rural locations used to conceal them until they were needed). Cocaine worth hundreds of thousands of pounds was found by police at these sites.
After the sentencing Detective Sergeant Eddie Hammond said: "Cocaine is a highly addictive and destructive drug and its distribution can have devastating effects.
"This exhaustive and complex investigation has resulted in huge quantities of class A drugs being removed from the streets of Norfolk.
"We hope the sentences handed down today send a clear and unequivocal message: that those involved in the supply of illegal drugs in Norfolk will be relentlessly pursued and that we remain committed to disrupting criminal networks and ensuring offenders are brought before the courts."