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County lines drugs gang with 72 members sentenced to combined 221 years

Police have secured 72 convictions as they smashed a county lines ring. (SWNS)
Police have secured 72 convictions as they smashed a county lines ring. (SWNS)

A multimillion-pound county lines drugs ring has been broken up by police after 72 members were sentenced to more than 221 years combined.

The group exploited vulnerable children as young as 14 to peddle Class A drugs including crack cocaine and heroin.

The ring, which spanned 18 counties, was infiltrated by undercover officers in a covert operation.

It led to what is thought to be the biggest conviction of its kind by a single UK police force against a county drugs line gang, and officers seized £1.3m worth of narcotics as they shut down 30 drugs lines across the UK.

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Police carry out a search in their anti-county lines operation. (SWNS)
Police carry out a search in their anti-county lines operation. (SWNS)
Drugs recovered by officrs. (SWNS)
Drugs recovered by officrs. (SWNS)

Detective Chief Inspector Adam Pendlebury, of Northamptonshire Police, said: “We have always been clear as a force that it is the people at the top of these drug-dealing gangs who we want to target.

"And this operation has done exactly that, leaving no stone unturned from London to Northamptonshire in order to put these people where they belong – behind bars.”

The force began investigating early in 2019 and officers were able to gain access to the network, finding evidence of gangs working in London, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Northampton and London.

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Police recovered money. (SWNS)
Police recovered money. (SWNS)
Weapons discovered by police. (SWNS)
Weapons discovered by police. (SWNS)

Police made multiple arrests late that same year.

Aways Osman, 28, Hussein Jimale, 26, Bruno Borges, 24, Omarni Bernard-Sewell, 25, and Levi Bernard, 33, who were described as the "big players" of the group, were jailed for a total of 36 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

“Drug dealers like Aways Osman, Hussein Jimale, Bruno Borges, Omarni Bernard-Sewell and Levi Bernard truly think they are untouchable,” DCI Pendlebury said.

“They exploit vulnerable people like children and adults suffering with addiction, and make them take all the risks, while they sit at home counting their money.

"There is no honour in this.

“Over the past two years we have warned them and their associates directly that one day, we would get them, one day we would come through their door, and one day they would be looking at the inside of a prison cell.”

A total of 72 people have been sentenced. (SWNS)
A total of 72 people have been sentenced. (SWNS)
Police carried out arrests in 2019. (SWNS)
Police carried out arrests in 2019. (SWNS)

The following all received between six months in prison, or a community order, and nine years and six months in prison. Some were suspended.

Kryon Smye, 23, Northampton; Kelly Nelligan, 39, Northampton; Samir Mohammed, 20, Northampton; Jake Moules, 23, Wolverhampton; Chris Finch, 30, Northampton; Kristina Rasnaca, 29, Northampton, 29; Marcus Lee, 56, of no fixed address; Belal Sesay, 20, London; Andrew Bluck, 37, Northampton.

Robert Stratton, 50, Northampton; Kayon English, 21, Wembley; Gemma Valentine, 36, Northampton; Darren Anderson, 50, Karl Spear 40, David Howe, 51, all of no fixed address; Levi Bernard, 33, Birmingham; Milcho Koroveshovski, 34, Daniel Jeyes, 35, Omarni Bernard-Sewell, 25, all of no fixed address; Andrew Pettit, 40, Northampton; Nathan Bettles, 31, Northampton; William Bradshaw, 39, Northampton; Chelsea McIntyre, 29, Birmingham; Lloyd Green, 34, of no fixed address; Margaret Stanley, 46, Northampton; Callum Sykes, 24, of no fixed address; Karen MacDonald, 44, Northampton.

Aways Osman, 28, London; Donte Charles-Lauder, 23, Walthamstow; Farhan Ali, 24, Walthamstow; Hussein Jimale, 26, Dagenham; Joy Broadbent, 55, Northampton; Dale Edmenson, 42, Northampton; Lloyd Green, 34, of no fixed address; Robert Allen, 48, of no fixed address; Sandra McKellor, 51, Northampton; Vojtech Boraros, 35, of no fixed address.

Kelly Faulkner, 43, Northampton; Frantisek Pesta, 31, of no fixed abode; Lauren Kemp, 32, Boston; Kelvin Augustine, 35, Northampton; Paul Shaw, 32, Northampton; Tim Harris, 56, Northampton; John Muir, 41, of no fixed address; Rashan George, 21, Sidcup; Dionne Dunne, 49, Northampton; Darren Bason, 50, Northampton; Louise Jones, 31, Northampton; Leeroy Hudson, 18, Northampton; Jerome MacDonald, 31, Northampton; Elliot Tevera, 18, Northampton; Liam King, 21, Northampton; Harrison Rooney, 22, Northampton.

Trey Johnson, 25, Wolverhampton; Courtney Glassford, 25, Wolverhampton; Bradley Buchanan, 33, Vaughan Coe, 30, Jessica Malpas, 31, all of no fixed address; Paul Scott, 42, Northampton; William Bradshaw, 39, Northampton; Bruno Borges, 24, Hendon; William Leitao, 20, Ilford; Alexandra Gayle, 40, Northampton; Tyrell Taylor, 24, London; Ashan Senior, 19, London; Magloire Bendekila, 24, London; Nathan Leadenham, 25, London; Simon Skipworth, 42, Northampton; Liam Hodson-Hobday, 27, Northampton; Tevin Forde, 26, Northampton; Bob Kisikidi, 21, Barking; Shayden Mullins, 19, Hackney; Kaya Mugugu, 19, Northampton, Donell Sanderson, 23, Harrow.

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