They have been jailed for a combined total of over 37 years. Photo: Humberside Police
Six members of a Manchester drug gang have been jailed for a combined total of over 37 years after dealing heroin and crack cocaine in Grimsby.
The six men all admitted their role in the county lines operation. They were jailed for 37 years and four months after officers spent the last three years gathering evidence to piece together the case.
They ran the operation via addresses in Hainton Avenue, Thorgam Court, Farebrother Street, Freeman Street, Sussex Street, and St Augustine Avenue.
Two of the gang, who had also admitted being involved in the operation, absconded from court on Friday. They are being hunted by officers.
Lauren Griffin, 25, and Billy Griffin, 28, both of Biddinsham Walk in Manchester will be sentenced at a later date.
All eight members of the gang admitted conspiring to supply heroin and crack cocaine between October 2015 and October 2016.
Jail sentences
Robin Griffin
Robin Griffin. Photo: Humberside Police
Robin Griffin, 31, of Biddisham Walk, Manchester, also admitted possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply. He was jailed for nine years and nine months.
Bonar Kekula
Bonar Kekula. Photo: Humberside Police
Bonar Kekula, 28, of Harrowby Drive, Collyhurst, Manchester, was jailed for seven years.
John Brady
John Brady. Photo: Humberside Police
John Brady, 29, of Northridge Road, Manchester, was jailed for five years.
Gerrard Downs
Gerrard Downs. Photo: Humberside Police
Gerrard Downs, 31, of Abderdare Walk, Manchester, was jailed for six years and three months.
Lee Hughes
Lee Hughes. Photo: Humberside Police
Lee Hughes, 30, of Aldbourne Close, Manchester, was jailed for seven years.
Liam Oxley
Liam Oxley. Photo: Humberside Police
Liam Oxley, 31, of Aswell Street, Louth, was jailed for two years and four months.
Lauren and Billy Griffin
Lauren and Billy Griffin. Photo: Humberside Police
Lauren Griffin, 25 and Billy Griffin, 28, both of Biddinsham Walk, Manchester, absconded from court on Friday and are being hunted by officers.
Operation’s key finds
Officers recovered thousands of pounds in cash.
Heroin and crack cocaine with the value of almost £8,500 was taken off the streets off Grimsby.
£7,370 in cash was found in a handbag during a warrant at a flat in Thorgam Court on Monday, October 20, 2015.
On Sunday, December 28, 2015, Robin Griffin crashed his car trying to evade officers in Matlock Drive. He was found hiding in a bin and we recovered mobile phones containing evidence of drug dealing.
On January 28, 2016, officers recovered £1,500 hidden in a toilet cistern during a search of a house in Farebrother Street, along with multiple mobile phones.
Bonar Kekula was found hiding next to a divan bed during a search of a house in Hainton Avenue on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. £845 was found hidden in a secret hollow under the bed. Another £2,105 was found in a sock hidden under the bath.
During the same search John Brady was found hiding behind a bedroom door and a bag containing multiple ‘deals’ of crack and heroin were recovered.
Cash was recovered during a search. Photo: Humberside Police
Drugs were also seized. Photo: Humberside Police
On Thursday, May 19, 2016, plain clothes officers spotted a van acting suspiciously in Lord Street. The vehicle was stopped by a marked car. Gerrard Downs got out and ran but was pursued and quickly arrested. Mobile phones, heroin, crack cocaine and £1,062 were found scattered in his wake.
Crack cocaine, heroin and £1,000 were uncovered during a search of Liam Oxley’s then home in Sussex Street on Saturday, July 30, 2016.
On Monday, October 3, Heroin to the value of £3,710 was found as a result of a warrant at an address in St Augustine Avenue, along with drug dealing paraphernalia. (pictured right)
Heroin to the value of £3,710 was found. Photo: Humberside Police
Detective Sergeant at Humberside Police Steve Elliott said: “This has been a complex investigation, over a long period of time, which dealt with very serious offences.
“We know the impact that the actions of this group – and all those who deal in drugs – has on the wider community and by securing these sentences, we hope that we will make a huge difference to the people of Grimsby.”
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A man who was assaulted on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln has died, with police now investigating his murder.
The 53-year-old victim died at the scene shortly after police arrived at around 5.55pm on October 24 on Newark Road.
Two men, aged 25 and 31, have been arrested on suspicion of murder and remain in police custody.
A police cordon was in place across several streets down Newark Road.
Detective Inspector Chris Marriott, from East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “We attended a report of an assault in which one man has died.
“To enable us to carry out our investigations, officers had to lock down the crime scene and as a result residents and workers were unable to enter or leave this location.
“The main scene cordon has now been lifted so residents can return to their homes. A small cordon remains in place on the roadside.
“We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused and thank people for their patience.
“Our investigations are ongoing and the two arrested men remain in custody and will be questioned in due course.
“Officers will be in the area today carrying out further enquiries and we are appealing for any witnesses or anyone with CCTV or dashcam footage of the area at around the time this happened to contact us on 101.”
If you can assist with the police investigation call 101, quoting incident number 346 of October 24 or email [email protected].
You can also report anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
There have been 1,429 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Greater Lincolnshire this week.
The latest UK coronavirus dashboard figures for Friday showed 153 cases in Lincolnshire, 44 in North Lincolnshire and 73 in North East Lincolnshire.
In total there have been 4,286 cases for the month of October.
This week has also seen 25 deaths of Greater Lincolnshire residents reported by government, with eight of those confirmed to be in the region’s hospitals.
NHS figures for Friday reported three further deaths in hospitals, with two taking place at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust facilities and one at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals Trust facilities.
The government’s own death tally, which includes those both in and out of hospitals and those of residents in hospitals outside the county, showed five new deaths, including four in Lincolnshire and one in North Lincolnshire.
Nationally, cases increased by 20,530 to 830,998, while deaths jumped by 224 to 44,571.
A chart of Lincolnshire’s cases up to October 23.
Lincolnshire is currently still on the medium (tier 1) level for the the new three-tier lockdown system of COVID-19 risk, which means it has no extra restrictions on top of the nation-wide ones.
As of Friday, there are 88 patients with coronavirus at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust and Northern Lincolnshire NHS Foundation Trust facilities.
Also, parents are being urged to make sure children follow the social distancing rules during half-term, to avoid outbreaks in schools upon their return.
Coronavirus data for Greater Lincolnshire for Friday, October 23
8,878 cases (up 270)
5,755 in Lincolnshire (up 153)
1,804 in North Lincolnshire (up 44)
1,319 in North East Lincolnshire (up 73)
446 deaths (up five)
299 from Lincolnshire (up four)
94 from North Lincolnshire (up one)
43 from North East Lincolnshire (no change)
of which 292 hospital deaths (up three)
155 at United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust (up two)
6 at Lincolnshire Community Health Service hospitals (no change)
1 at Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation Trust (no change)
130 in Northern Lincolnshire (NLAG) (up one)
830,998 UK cases, 44,571 deaths
DATA SOURCE — FIGURES CORRECT AT THE TIME OF the latest update. postcode data includes deaths not in healthcare facilities or in hospitals outside authority boundaries.
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