They made an 100 mile journey to Liverpool but had no idea they were being watched

A nationwide drug operation that ran drugs from cannabis factories in Merseyside and Birmingham down to the south west was likely to have netted millions of pounds. The organised crime group (OCG), led by Birmingham man Jamie Hadley, trafficked huge shipments of cannabis cut from crops grown across its network of factories, as well as hauls of cocaine.

Officers from the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (WMROCU) had been investigating a suspected drug dealer when they were alerted to suspicious activity in September 2021. A taxi driver from Birmingham had driven to Torquay to collect a package from two men, before another man drove again from Birmingham to deliver a package to the same location.

Investigations between the West Midlands' police force and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) revealed the first package was cash and the second a large quantity of cannabis. As officers began to keep track of those involved, a car was followed from Birmingham to Liverpool in early October 2021 to a location later revealed as a huge cannabis farm.

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A car was followed from the cannabis farm the following day and was stopped by police en route to Birmingham. The driver was arrested and the car was found to contain 12 kilograms of cannabis worth up to £58,000, and an even greater street value of £117,000.

Just two days later another car was stung on the M6 as it joined the M5 southbound, with the two occupants making off on foot. One was arrested following a foot chase and the other travelled several miles on foot.

He was tracked by traffic officers and dog handlers to a local pizza shop and detained. Police found a kilogram of cocaine in a sleeping bag in the car with a street value of £100,000. Phones seized from those arrested linked them to other members of the group and, in November 2021, three more men were arrested - two in Torquay and one in Liverpool where cannabis and cash were seized.

In January 2022 a warrant was executed at a residential property in Hale Road, Widnes, where an industrial size cannabis factory was found and a man hiding in the loft. The yield from the crop was estimated at over £600,000 and a farm that size was capable of four crops a year.

A warrant the following day in a vacant three storey commercial property in Digbeth, Birmingham, revealed another cannabis factory containing 3,112 plants worth up to a staggering £1,300,000.

Three men were arrested trying to run from the back of the property. Soon after, at a derelict factory, also in Digbeth, police found another 2,678 plants with evidence of more being hastily removed the previous night. Days later a Ford C-Max travelled from Kingstanding onto the M6 north where traffic officers attempted to stop it.

The vehicle made off at over 110mph before attempting to leave the motorway and colliding with a traffic light, before coming to a stop. Both occupants fled, but were caught by pursuing officers. The vehicle was found to contain several large bags, holding 42 kilograms of cannabis.

Over a dozen defendants appeared at Birmingham Crown Court last week to be sentenced for their involvement in the plot. This included Merseyside men Daniel Beattie, 24 of Morcroft Road in Huyton, who was sentenced to four years' imprisonment for his role as a cocaine courier; Patrik Quarless, 24 and of Graburn Road in Formby, who was sentenced to nine years and eight months for his role as a cocaine courier; and Craig Bentick, 26 and of Fonthill Road in Kirkdale who received a two years' prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, for his role as a cannabis distributor down in Torquay.

The gang's leader Jamie Hadley, 32 and of Kingstanding Road, Birmingham, received a sentence of 11 years and nine months, while second in command Christopher Madden, 30 and of Waterlily Close in Cannock, was sentenced to two years' imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.

Toi Banh, 37 of Masshouse Plaza, Birmingham was sentenced to eight years and two months' imprisonment; Collum Keyes, 37 of Knightwick Crescent, Birmingham, was sentenced to five years; Lee Bailey, 51 and of Meadway in Birmingham was sentenced to 20 weeks' imprisonment suspended for 18 months.

An Toung Phan, 29 and of no fixed address was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment and forfeiture of £820; Joshua Fullerton, 28 and of Lincombe Drive in Torquay, was sentenced to seven years and seven months' imprisonment; Dean Isaac, 35 and of Lymington Road in Torquay was sentenced to three years and nine months' imprisonment; Joshua Turner, 30 and of Hurlingham Road in Birmingham was sentenced to a 12 month community order; and Rizwan Khan, 43 and of Watney Grove in Birmingham is due to be sentenced on September 24.

Detective Constable Sam Blackburn, from West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit, said: "The scale of this enterprise had the potential to net the group millions of pounds, but in collaboration with our counterparts at South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, we tracked their movements to identify those involved and put them before the courts. Drugs and the associated criminality ruins lives, and we are determined to bring offenders to justice."

DCI Adam Smith of SWROCU added: “This joint investigation by SWROCU and WMROCU demonstrates the strength of the ROCU network in dismantling criminal networks and protecting communities. It’s thanks to meticulous detective work and exceptional digital forensics that we have been able to deprive this organised crime group of their illegal commodity and their freedom."