Brockhall drugs baron jailed for seven years

Vincent Harold Graham used drug money to fund a ‘lavish lifestyle’ at a five-bedroom house in the Ribble Valley’s exclusive Brockhall Village.

Police described the drugs racket as ‘huge’.

One-legged father-of-ten Graham, 33, who was before Preston Crown Court yesterday, rented the luxury house in the gated estate near Langho which is popular with businessmen and footballers.

The former cage-fighter paid his £1,500 rent in cash and police said an investigation into his finances revealed a “lavish lifestyle wholly inconsistent with his declared income.”

And when police raided the house in the prestigious community they recovered £5,000 in cash, a number of high-performance cars, motorbikes, jet skis, quad bikes, electrical goods, jewellery and artwork worth more than £150,000.

Officers from the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (Titan) first began a covert investigation into Graham’s activities in September 2009.

Police discovered that Graham, who also had a home in Southport, conspired with London-based Nigerian, Sylvester Nkemakolam, to supply cocaine into Lancashire and across the North West.

Christopher Malpass, 26, of Linaker Street, Southport and Paul Archer, of The Walk, Southport, were also being investigated for ‘ferrying’ the drugs.

The court heard that the detectives established that Graham was involved with a number of organised crime groups in the UK and overseas.

Officers executed 14 warrants at four addresses across the North West including Brockhall Village and seized a large amount of property including a drugs hydraulic press and £20,000 worth of Benzocaine- a common cutting agent for cocaine.

Following the raids Graham was forced to leave Brockhall village, where he had lived for a year and he moved back to his former home in Southport.

The present tenants of the Brockhall house are not connected in any way with either Graham or his criminal activity.

The court heard the prosecution’s case against the four men centred around a drug deal on May 27 when Nkemakolam came up to Southport to deliver cocaine and Benzocaine to Graham.

Prosecuting, Nicholas Courtney, said: “Graham did meet with Nkemakolam that day, but was not foolish enough to be directly involved with the handover of the drugs.“ Graham had been in regular contact with both Nkemakolam and Malpass as the drug deal took place and he was crucial to organising the delivery of the drugs on the car park of a local convenience store.

At Archer’s home police found 2.2 kilos of Benzocaine, which mixed with pure cocaine had a street value of £115,000.

Mr Courtney, said: “Common sense dictates that no drugs operation starts at that scale and that the transaction that day was therefore most unlikely to be either an isolated transaction or the first or last of its kind.

“And police enquiries into Graham’s lifestyle support that common-sense conclusion.”

Graham was arrested on October 12, and later charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Malpass, Graham and Nkemakolam all pleaded guilty to supplying Class A drugs. Archer admitted a lesser charge of being concerned in the supply of cocaine.

Archer and Malpass who ferried the drugs between to Graham’s customers were jailed for three years and four years and five months years respectively.

Nkemakolam got seven years and two months.

Inspector Lee Halstead of Lancashire police, said: “This investigation has systematically reduced and now removed the harm posed by this North West drugs gang headed by Graham.

“Graham and his gang are believed to be responsible for distributing drugs namely cocaine throughout the North West and this sentence has removed a huge drugs operation off the streets and should act as a warning to others.”

Sentencing Judge Leeming, said: "This was a fully commercial drugs operation to supply cocaine across the North West worth tens of thousands of pounds."

Police said moves were being made to seize the limited remaining assets held by Graham.