17 people jailed as police smash County Durham cocaine ring

Operation Sidra was a long-running police operation to crack down on dealing in the county, and was set up in 2014 based on intelligence from the public about drug dealing in their community.

A long and complex investigation followed involving more than 40 officers, including covert surveillance teams, crime analysts and detectives and identified a number of people involved in the supply of Class A drugs into East Durham and beyond.

Properties in South Hetton, Easington Lane, New Herrington, Sunderland and South Shields were all raided by police as part of the operation, resulting in arrests, seizures of controlled drugs and more than £100,000 in cash.

Hydraulic presses used to shape cocaine into bricks were also discovered.

More properties were raided in Washington and East Durham, in 2017, leading to more arrests and the seizure of cocaine.

Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Lawrence, who led the investigation, said: "This organised crime gang were involved in bringing huge amounts of Class A drugs into the East Durham area and beyond.

"Through years of hard work and investigation, and with the support of local people who came forward with vital pieces of information, we have been able to disrupt and destroy this particular network who thought they could get away with blighting their communities through their illicit trade.

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"We are extremely pleased with this result, which has seen those involved in the conspiracy for more than 100 years in total. I hope this sends out a clear message that we will not tolerate criminality of this nature on our force area."

Andrew Blake, 41, of Regent Court, South Hetton, was identified as a leading player in the conspiracy.

He had denied conspiracy to supply cocaine and ecstasy but was found guilty following an eight-week trial last year and was jailed for 14 years. Six other men denied their involvement, were found guilty, and appeared before Teesside Crown Court yesterday for sentencing. They are:

• Robert Anderson, 45, of D’Arcy Court, Sunderland, who supplied high grade cocaine to one of the ringleaders. He was jailed for ten years.
• Stuart Gooden, 48, of Ullswater Drive, Washington, was regularly supplied with nine ounce blocks of cocaine by the ringleaders. He was jailed for ten years.
• Andrew Belford, 33, of Londonderry Street, Sunderland, and Darren McBride, 34, of Pauls Green, Hetton-le-Hole, were supplied with cocaine for onward commercial supply. They were sentenced to seven years and ten years in prison, respectively.
• Paul Casey, 45, of North View, Sunderland, was supplied with cocaine for onward supply to his own customer base. He was jailed for seven years.
• Ryan Johnson, 26, of The Tilery, Shotton Colliery, supplied cocaine to one of the ringleaders and to others. He was also sentenced to seven years in prison.

A seventh man, Dean Smart, 29, of Foxlair Close, Sunderland, was supplied with cocaine for onward supply to his own customer base. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

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Nine others were jailed for their part in the conspiracy last year, four of which denied their involvement but were found guilty following a trial. They were:

• Christian Winter, 50, of Osborne Avenue, South Shields, who was jailed for 12 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
• David Murphy, 38, of Avonmouth Road, Sunderland, who was jailed for ten years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
• Ian Ramshaw, 33, of Cambridge Road, Sunderland, was jailed for five years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and ecstasy.
• Thomas Blake, 77, of Jubilee Square, South Hetton, who was handed an 18 month prison sentence, suspended for two years for money laundering.

Three men and a woman who were involved in the scheme pleaded guilty to a number of offences prior to the trial. They are:

• James Murphy, 39, of Fletcher Crescent, New Herrington. He was sentenced to six years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and Class B drugs.
• Victoria Harding, 32, of Fletcher Crescent, New Herrington. She was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
• Calvin Brad Owens, 26, of The Crescent, Houghton-le-Spring. He was handed a two year prison sentence, suspended for two years for conspiracy to supply cocaine and Class B drugs. 
• Christopher Binks, 32, of Station Avenue, Fencehouses, Houghton-le-Spring. He was given a three-and-a-half year prison sentence, suspended for two years for conspiracy to supply to Class A drugs.

A 24-year-old man was also given a conditional discharge.