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16:40 19/05/2022
A tenth person charged as part of the drug dealing conspiracy in Gainsborough has today been sentenced to 2 years and 10 months in prison.
John Mclaggan, 50, of Park Springs Road, Gainsborough was given the sentence for one count of conspiracy to supply Crack Cocaine.
He was given a further 28 month sentence, to run concurrently, for the supply of heroin.
He had pleaded guilty to supply of Heroin, and was found guilty of the conspiracy to supply Crack Cocaine at a trial earlier this year.
His sentence will begin immediately.
Nine people responsible for dealing crack cocaine, cocaine, heroin and cannabis in Gainsborough over several months have been sentenced to decades in prison following an investigation.
The hearing at Lincoln Crown Court heard how the offenders had been dealing to users in and around the town, with deals sometimes carried out in public spaces.
The drug deals taking place were smaller sales to users who would sometimes buy several times a day. The deals were for 0.01 of a gram of crack cocaine each time, and they cost £10 a wrap. It is believed around half a kilo of crack cocaine was dealt during the investigation. Users were sent marketing text messages advertising that crack cocaine was available. As well as dealing crack cocaine, they also supplied cocaine in larger quantities on demand.
It is believed that they reloaded their supply around every three days to satisfy demand.
An operation was launched by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) to catch those responsible after officers from the Gainsborough Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) identified the emerging issue of dealing on their patch. Intelligence officers and the local NPT spent months gathering community intelligence, alongside other investigative methods by regional officers and staff, to determine who was responsible for the dealing, before specialist teams executed a series of early-morning warrants on 5 May 2020.
The warrants were carried out at six properties simultaneously – five in Gainsborough and one in North Lincolnshire.
Six of the offenders were arrested immediately following the warrants. A further offender was arrested the following day, one more later that month, and the rest a few months later following ongoing investigations.
Assistant Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police, Kerrin Wilson, said: "Organised criminality such as this seeks to prey on vulnerable people, and we knew that these individuals were a blight on their community, because with drugs always comes other issues.
"As a Force, we proactively tackle drug dealing, and we knew that with the help of the local community, our officers could use their policing expertise to gather the intel which could help identify those who were responsible for bringing dealing to the streets of Gainsborough – and crucially, allow us to gather the evidence needed to secure a conviction.
"This was a very thorough and involved investigation, and it’s thanks to the hard work and determination of our officers and staff to improve the communities they serve that we are here today, with results which send a clear message that we will not tolerate dealing in our county at any level.
"The main win is for the community. Our pursuit of criminals is round the clock, and the payoff of investigations like this gives us a further push to keep on tackling this kind of crime so that we can make every one of our towns, villages and cities a safe place to live, work and visit."
Seven of the offenders who pleaded guilty to their part in the conspiracy, and two who were found guilty following a trial, have now been sentenced this week. A further two will be sentenced at a later date.
This positive result is owed in part to intelligence received from the local community. If you have any concerns about your area or an individual, please contact us either through 101 or through Crimestoppers anonymously on https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ or 0800 555111.
Here is the full list of offenders, their charges, and their sentences. The following pleaded guilty:
The following were found guilty following a trial in March 2022:
A further two offenders will be sentenced at a date to be confirmed:
Images:
Pictured is John McLaggan:
Pictured below is Jerry Maughan:
Pictured below is Andrew Burgess:
Pictured below is William Andrews:
Pictured below is Declan Boswell:
Pictured below is Ben Glastonbury:
Pictured below is Ty McLaggan:
Pictured below is Declan Mullholland:
Pictured below is Nathan Stevenson:
Pictured below is Robert Blakestone: