Accrington teens avoid jail as six men given more than 30 years for class A drugs conspiracy

Patrick Gavin, 29, and Aqeeb Ali, 28, were handed lengthy custodial sentences at Preston's Sessions House on Friday.

Ishan Nailen, 28, Leroy Wright, 21, Shane Murray, 37, and John Lomax, 47, were also jailed at separate hearings earlier this week.

Meanwhile, Cameron Newton, 18, and Keiron Ashby, also 18, were handed suspended sentences at the hearing on Friday.

A number of other defendants were handed a mixture of community orders and suspended sentences at earlier hearings in Preston Crown Court. 

Police arrested 27 people in December 2020 as part of targeted action to tackle county lines drug-dealing and child criminal exploitation in East Lancashire.

Houses were raided in Accrington, Oswaldtwistle, Great Harwood and Haslingden and recovered was a significant amount of cannabis, as well as heroin, crack cocaine, mobile phones and paraphernalia associated with drug-dealing.

MORE: 27 people arrested in Accrington - including 14-year-old boy - over drug dealing and child exploitation

A total of 20 people were charged and appeared before Blackburn Magistrates' Court in the same month.

They included: 

• Gavin, formerly of Charter Street, Accrington, now of Rhoden Road Accrington, who was charged with conspiring to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and dangerous driving.
• Ali, of Rock Street, Haslingden, John Lomax, 45, of Victoria Street, Accrington; and Scott Melia, 38, of Tanpits Road, Accrington - charged with conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• Brandon Wilson, 18, of Higher Antley Street, Accrington; Callum Harris, 20, of Hope Street, Great Harwood; and Brook Seary, 18, of Haslingden Old Road, Oswaldtwistle - charged with conspiring to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.
• Sikander Hussain, 33, of Blackburn Road, Accrington; Philip Smalley, 29, of Monarch Street, Oswaldtwistle; Joseph Oakes and Melissa Riley – both 19 and of Union Road, Oswaldtwistle – and Leroy Wright, 19, and Tyler Bramche, 25 – both of Lion Street, Accrington – charged with conspiring to supply cannabis.
• Ishan Nailen, 26, of Park Road, Accrington has been charged with conspiring to supply cannabis, possession with intent to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
• At the time a 16-year-old boy from Oswaldtwistle and a 16-year-old boy from Accrington were charged with conspiring to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis.
• A 17-year-old girl from Accrington; a 17-year-old boy from Accrington and a 17-year-old boy from Oswaldtwistle were also charged with conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine.
• A 16-year-old boy from Accrington was also charged with conspiring to supply cannabis

At the hearing on Friday, the court was told how Ashby and Newton had been recruited by Gavin and Ali to supply drugs in the Accrington area.

Gavin

Ashby was aged just 14 when he first became involved in the organised crime group, with Newton being around the same age.

Over a two year period, from January 2019 up until their arrests in December 2020, Gavin and Ali recruited several more children who became street dealers and runners for the pair, with Gavin controlling a dealer line, effectively heading up the organisation. 

Ali

The street dealers and runners were so enamoured and proud of the criminal lifestyle they had been brought into by Gavin that they dubbed themselves the “Conspiracy Squad”.

Judge Andrew Jefferies said: "The conspiracy seems to have begun with children selling class B drugs and then this expanded to include class A drugs. 

Nailen

"The defendants in this case all worked together as a team at various points - it was clearly an organised crime group.

"Gavin, you were the head of the group, dealing with class A and B drugs and for six months you ran a number of dealer lines.

"I am also sentencing you for dangerous driving today where an overtaking manoeuvre led to a collision.

"You have previous convictions and have also served time in prison.

"I have had the task of sentencing your co-defendants in this case earlier this week, who were sadly still children when they were exploited and recruited by you.

"The amount of drugs involved was between two and three kilos, and you clearly had a leading role as you organised the buying and selling on a commercial scale and expected substantial financial rewards.

Lomax

"Ali, you were Gavin's lieutenant and were involved for a period of time but you were also a user of drugs.

"You ran the Jock and Mario lines and had a leading role in this operation."

Judge Jefferies handed Gavin, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and dangerous driving, 12 years and four months in prison, with a driving disqualification of 12 months, to begin upon his release.

Ali, who pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine, was given eight years and one month in prison. 

Murray

Judge Jefferies continued: "Ashby and Newton, you two, like many of the younger defendants I have sentenced this week, did not appreciate just how serious the offending you were getting involved with was, because of your lack of maturity. 

"I hope that by seeing the length of time I have sentenced Gavin and Ali for shows the seriousness.

"Newton, you were around 15-years-old when you got involved, and it was accepted that your involvement was only for around two months under the direction of Gavin and Ali.

"You fall within the category of those who are vulnerable and were recruited and exploited by others."

Newton, of Fountains Way, Oswaldtwistle, who had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, was handed a two year sentence suspended for 18 months and told to complete 35 rehabilitation activity days.

Judge Jefferies added: "You fall in the not going straight to prison set by a hair's breadth.

"Ashby, you are someone else who falls in the category of being exploited and you were involved in the supply of class A and class B drugs.

"At the time you were 14, 15 and 16-years-old. You provided a very important link between other children and Gavin, therefore allowing him to exploit other children.

"You have no previous convictions and have not committed any other offences since your arrest.

"You have shown you are capable of moving on in a positive way by moving from the Accrington area."

Wright

Ashby, of Wordsworth Road, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A and class B drugs, and was given two years suspended for 18 months and told to complete 30 rehabilitation activity days. 

The remaining defendants received the following sentences:

• Ishan Nailen, 28, ‘Iceman’, Park Road, Accrington. Jailed for two years
• Brook Seery, 20, Haslingden Old Road, Accrington. 12-month conditional discharge
• Thomas Brett, 18, Stevenson Street West, Accrington. A Community order.
• Scott Melia, 39, Tanpits Road, Accrington. Community Order (12 month)
• Leroy Wright, 21, Reeth Way, Accrington. Conspiracy to supply cannabis. Jailed for six months
• Tyler Branch, 26, Lion Street, Accrington. Concerned in the supply of cannabis. Community order
• John Lomax, 47, Victoria Street, Accrington. Conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine. Jailed for five years and nine months
• A 17-year-old from Accrington. Conspiracy to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis. Given a three year youth rehabilitation order and six month curfew
• Philip Smalley, 30, Monarch Street, Oswaldtwistle. Conspiracy to supply cannabis. Community order
• Joseph Oakes, 30, Union Road, Oswaldtwistle. Conspiracy to supply cannabis. 13 months imprisonment suspended for 12 months
• Brandon Wilson, 19, Higher Antley Street, Accrington Conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine. Two years imprisonment suspended for two years
• Callum Harris, 21, Hope Street, Great Harwood. Conspiracy to supply cannabis. 12 months imprisonment suspended for one year
• Shane Murray, 37, Parkinson Street, Haslingden. Conspiracy to supply cannabis. 40 months imprisonment.

Callum Dunne, 26, Stanhill Lane, Oswaldtwistle, and Dylan Ashby, 23 Wordsworth Road, Oswaldtwistle, will be sentenced on June 6.

Det Sgt Stu Peall, of the East Vulnerability and Exploitation Team, said: "This operation was carried out on the back of concerns raised in the community and information about the possible exploitation of children and I welcome these sentences which reflect the gravity of the offending.

“We will continue to take the fight to criminals and to and I would encourage anybody with information about criminal activity in their area to contact police in the full knowledge that Lancashire Constabulary will take their concerns seriously and act with professionalism.

“Lancashire Constabulary takes county lines drug-dealing extremely seriously and where there is evidence of young people being exploited into committing criminal acts then we will look to prosecute the offenders and protect those being exploited.

“County Lines will not succeed in Lancashire and those responsible for exploiting our vulnerable children should be constantly looking over their shoulder because we will find you, no matter where you hide, and put you before the courts.”