Organised crime group members locked up over drug supply conspiracy

Six men who were part of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between Manchester and Nottinghamshire have been jailed for a combined total of nearly 50 years.

Vast amounts of cocaine and heroin were supplied and then distributed in Nottinghamshire during the large-scale operation, which ran between June 2022 and January 2023.

The extensive police investigation focused on two organised crime groups (OCG), from Manchester and Nottinghamshire, whose members used different mobile phones to arrange the movement, storage, and sale of controlled drugs.

During the investigation, which was led by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), officers arrested a suspect and seized two half kilo blocks of heroin after stopping a car in Mappleton Drive, Mansfield, on 5 January 2023.

A series of warrants executed at numerous addresses, including in Edwinstowe, Hucknall, Bulwell and Radcliffe-on-Trent, between January and March 2023, led to further drugs seizures and arrests.

The Nottinghamshire-based crime group was spearheaded by 36-year-old Mark Malone, who organised the purchase and movement of large quantities of cocaine and heroin.

Malone, of HMP Peterborough, has pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a Class A drug and to possession of a firearm and ammunition. He is due to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on 30 July 2024.

Head of the Manchester-based crime group, 41-year-old Andrew Ratcliffe, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to supply a Class A drug in Nottinghamshire.

At Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday (18 July 2024), Ratcliffe, formerly of The Ropeway, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, was jailed for 12 years for his part in the conspiracy.

Six other men were also convicted and sentenced for the following offences:

• Michael Lawrence, aged 35, of Garden Crescent, South Normanton, Alfreton, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class A drug at Mappleton Drive, Mansfield.

Lawrence, who was second-in-command within the Nottinghamshire OCG, was handed a prison sentence of 11 years and seven months.

• Zak Jackson, aged 27, of Vernon Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class A drug at Mappleton Drive, Mansfield. He was jailed for eight years.
• Daniel Busuttil, aged 33, of Grange Park Road, Manchester, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiring to supply a Class A drug and to a further count of possession with intent to supply a Class A drug at Mappleton Drive, Mansfield. He was locked up for eight years.
• George Turner, aged 35, of Storth Avenue, Hucknall, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply a Class A drug, acquiring criminal property, namely cash, and possession with intent to supply a Class B drug, namely cannabis. He was jailed for six years and nine months.
• James Morledge, aged 38, of Chatsworth Avenue, Radcliffe-on-Trent, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis in Nottinghamshire between 2 September 2022 and 14 February 2023. He was sentenced to three years in prison.
• Tyler George, aged 21, of East Lane, Edwinstowe, Mansfield, pleaded guilty to supplying a Class A drug. He was given a 21-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, and ordered to carry out 200 hours of unpaid work.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Adas, now of Nottinghamshire Police and former EMSOU senior investigating officer, said: “Our case was that the Manchester group, on 22 occasions, supplied an overall potential street value of £2.2 million.

“We hope these sentences passed by the judge send out a clear and stark message to those currently involved in drug supply, or those who are considering it, that they won’t get away with it, they will be caught, and they will be brought to justice. 

“I’d like to commend the meticulous work of the investigation team whose hard work led to the dismantling of these OCG’s whose serious criminality was a blight on our communities and posed a real risk to vulnerable people.

“Some of those sentenced led lavish cash-rich lifestyles, profiting from the misery of the people they exploited.

“I’m pleased they have now been taken off our streets and can no longer benefit from their harmful criminal activities.”