The drug gang have now all been sentenced. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Drug dealers involved in bringing vast amounts of cocaine and heroin into Lincolnshire were given lengthy jail sentences at the end of a series of court cases which have taken place over several months.
Sentences passed on Friday on the final 12 defendants brought the total jail sentences imposed by Judge John Pini QC to over 250 years.
In total 25 people were sentenced in connection to the major investigation.
Although police stopped couriers on three occasions, seizing thousands of pounds worth of drugs, the gangs had the financial backing to quickly bring in replacement stock.
Some of the drugs seized were of such high purity that police believed it was “straight off the boat” from South America.
When officers carried out a series of searches on homes in Lincolnshire, Essex and South Yorkshire they seized thousands of pounds in cash together with large amounts of drugs.
Package of cocaine. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
At the end of the case the Judge praised the work of the team of police officers and CPS workers involved in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Judge Pini officially commended members of the team including Det Insp Paul McMahon, who headed up the investigation, Det Sgt Ian Brooks and Det Con Lynn Foster.
He said: “These cases are absolutely exhausting for the police to put together. They involve vast amounts of work. They are time intensive and they are cost intensive.”
The judge said the work involved in investigations such as this affected the home and family lives of the officers involved and members of the team had gone well beyond what was expected.
Seized cocaine. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
John Hallissey, prosecuting, said consignments of cocaine were brought in from Sheffield on at least 17 occasions between January 2017 and June 2018. A kilo of the drug, with a street value of about £50,000, was believed to have been delivered on each journey. Smaller amounts were supplied from Essex during a number of trips.
“Martin Murphy and Daniel Beeken were very much the heads of the operation. Cocaine and heroin was brought in from Sheffield for onward distribution in and around Lincolnshire.”
Mr Hallissey said the operation Sheffield supply chain overlapped with a drug supply network based in Skegness and there was a separate but linked supply chain delivering from Essex.
Police intercepted deliveries on three occasions but the drug supply operation managed to continue before finally being brought to an end in the summer of 2018
Daniel Beeken meeting Martin Murphy (The Birds public house, Spalding, December 2018). Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Judge Pini, passing sentence, said: “This was a wholesale business which was professionally run for very significant profits.
“The evidence showed that Beeken and Murphy often worked in tandem. Both were strictly hands on. They were described in evidence as joined at the hip.”
The two men had others working for them collecting money and bringing in the drugs and below them was a network of street dealers.
Martin Murphy meeting Daniel Beeken (The Birds public house, Spalding, December 2018). Photo: Lincolnshire Police
On Friday, the final 12 defendants were sentenced. They were:
Sheraz Mohammed , 42, of Prince of Wales Road, Sheffield, the head of the Sheffield supply chain, admitted one charge of conspiracy. He was jailed for 15 years and nine months
Nicky Joseph, 40, of Eden Court, Rochford, Essex, the head of the Essex supply chain, admitted a single charge of conspiracy. He was jailed for 13 years and six months
Martin Marsh, 33, of Beck Bank, Quadring Fen, admitted two charges of conspiracy. He was jailed for 12 years and seven months
Jason Bloor , 39, of Church Lane, Skegness, admitted two charges of conspiracy and a further charge of possession of drugs with intent to supply. Bloor, who was head of the Skegness supply operation, was jailed for 11 years and six months
Mohammed Ali, 31, of Horndean Road, Sheffield, admitted one charge of conspiracy. He was jailed for 11 years and three months
Matthew Creese, 35, of Clough Road, Gosberton Risegate, admitted two charges of conspiracy and was jailed for 10 years and eight months. He was convicted by a jury earlier this week of two unconnected charges of sexual assault on a child under the age of 13 for which he was given a one year consecutive sentence. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and given a 10 year sexual harm protection order
Johnathon Kendrick, 39, St Laurence Close, Surfleet, admitted two charges of conspiracy. He was jailed for 10 years and six months
Joshua Wong, 29, of Ward Cresent, Fishtoft, admitted two charges of conspiracy. He was jailed for nine years and seven months
Paul Webb, 34, of Linchfield Road, Market Deeping, admitted two charges of conspiracy and was jailed for nine years
Mohammed Waqar, 32, of Firth Park Crescent, Sheffield, admitted one charge of conspiracy. He was jailed for seven years and nine months
Lee Syndercombe, also known as Quinn Moncler, 33, of Edinburgh Drive, Kirton, Boston, admitted two offences of conspiracy. He was jailed for seven years and three months
Amandeep Singh, 41, a former Spalding taxi driver, now of Ridgmount Street, Bedford, admitted one charge of conspiracy. He was jailed for six years
Nicky Joseph meeting Neil Dodd (Dodd sat in the Rover) at Gallions Reach retail park in London. Photo: Lincolnshire Police
The 13 defendants sentenced on Thursday were :
Martin Murphy, 51, of Windsor Bank, Boston, admitted two charges of conspiracy and was jailed for 18 years and eight months
Daniel Beeken, 41, of Campains Lane, Deeping St Nicholas, was jailed for 16 years and six months. He admitted two charges of conspiracy
Paul Wilkinson, 42, of Hudson Way, Skegness, denied one charge of conspiracy but was found guilty. He denied a further charge of conspiracy relating to drug supply from Leicester into Skegness. He was jailed for 14 years and four months
Timothy Fisher, 34, of Cygnet Court, Spalding, denied two charges of conspiracy but was gound guilty. He was jailed for 14 years
Luke Culpin, 32, of Snowdrop Place, Spalding; denied two charges of conspiracy to supply drugs but was found guilty after a trial and jailed for 14 years
Darren Palmer, 48, of Windsor Bank, Boston, denied one charge of conspiracy but was found guilty. He also admitted illegal possession of a mobile phone in prison. He was jailed for 14 years
Neil Dodd, 56, of Spalding Common, Spalding, admitted two charges of conspiracy and was jailed for 13 years
Scott Hurford ,44, of Park Road, Spalding; admitted two charges of conspiracy. He was jailed for 12 years. The court was told that Hurford had previously received a 26 year jail sentence in Thailand for a drugs supply offence from which he was released early
Heidi Murphy, 46, of Woodthorpe Avenue, Boston; denied two charges of conspiracy but was found guilty after a trial. She was jailed for 12 years
Hayley Roberts , 29, of Mawson Gardens, Wainfleet; admitted one charge of conspiracy and three charges of possession of cannabis. She was jailed for five years and eight months
Rosie Warren, 27, of Clough Road, Gosberton Risegate, admitted conspiracy and was jailed for four years and six months
Charlotte Brooks,29, of Mawson Gardens, Wainfleet; admitted one charge of conspiracy and one charge of possessing cannabis. She was jailed for three years and two months
Rebecca Patrick, 30, of Eden Court, Rochford, Essex; the partner of Nicky Joseph who headed up the Essex operation, admitted allowing her home to be used for storing cocaine. She was given a six month jail sentence suspended for 18 months
Deputy Chief Constable Jason Harwin, the National Police Chief Council’s lead for drugs, said: “I welcome these sentences which have been achieved through the dedication and determination of EMSOU and Lincolnshire officers. Drug dealers cause devastating damage to communities and the vulnerable people who they supply.
“When dealers are put behind bars, others simply fill the void they have left. We will continue to bring drug dealers to justice, but we have to see this as a wider societal and public health issue that the police cannot solve on their own. There must be a focus on supporting and diverting those that need illicit drugs to eliminate the problem.”
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A 14-year-old boy accused of murder admitted to a friend he had killed a 12-year-old, a jury was told on Thursday afternoon.
Another teenager told the jury at Lincoln Crown Court that the defendant contacted him in a Facebook Messenger call hours after the death of Roberts Buncis.
The teenager said: “He (the defendant) was saying he had killed him and he wasn’t supposed to.
“He said he had killed him. He said it wasn’t supposed to go on like that.
“He said they were fighting. He said both of them had knives. All he said was ‘He’s dead. It wasn’t supposed to happen’
“I didn’t know what to say. I thought it was a joke. Then I saw the news at 6pm.”
Police identified the victim as Roberts Buncis, 12.
The boy said that the defendant had unsent a message he posted saying “bad news”.
The teenager said: “He (the defendant) and Roberts used to be friends but I don’t know what happened. A couple of days ago they were still ok. I don’t know what happened.”
He said that he chatted with the defendant and played Minecraft with him before the defendant said he was going out.
“He said he was meeting Roberts and would be back soon. That’s all he said. I just said I would be going to sleep.”
The teenager said that he knew the defendant and in a pre-recorded video interview played to the jury he said: “I know he used to sell drugs at school. He got excluded from school for that.
“He stole bikes. He sold them so he could buy more marijuana. From what he said to me he started growing it in his house.”
The 14 year old, who cannot be identified because of a court order, denies the murder of Roberts Buncis.
The jury has been told that Roberts was lured from his home by the defendant in the middle of the night who then stabbed him “again and again” leaving him with multiple knife wounds.
Roberts’ body was found in a wooded area near to a footpath in the village of Fishtoft on the outskirts of the town of Boston, on the morning of December 12 last year (2020).
Lincolnshire’s vaccination centres have hit another big milestone, now giving out over 900,000 jabs in the county.
It comes after NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens announced that everyone over 18 can book a COVID-19 vaccination from June 18.
Texts will be sent to some 1.5 million people aged 18-20 on Friday as part of a “watershed moment” in the programme.
The latest vaccination data released on Thursday shows that there have been 900,101 cumulative doses of the coronavirus vaccine in Lincolnshire between December 8 and June 13.
This is a rise of 38,737 from last week, almost five thousand less than the amount given in the previous week.
The data now shows that around 44% of 25-29 year olds have now been given at least one dose of the vaccine, and 82.2% of 50-54 year olds have been given both doses.
Meanwhile, 396,850 second doses have also been given out, meaning the county is getting ever closer to one million jabs during the vaccination rollout.
Office for National Statistics estimates put the total adult (16+) Lincolnshire population at 629,926, meaning just under 80% have had their first dose and around 63% have had their second.
Nationally, 59,937,533 total doses have been administered according to the figures.
The family of a devoted father to three children have paid tribute after he died in a car crash on the A17.
James Duffield, 28, from Norfolk, lost his life after a collision on the A17 at Sutterton on August 29, 2020.
At an inquest into James’ death, his family penned an emotional and heartfelt tribute for “the most amazing daddy, partner, son, brother and friend.”
The family have said: “There will never be enough words to capture who James was as a person and what he meant to everyone who was lucky enough to be in his life.
“James had so much passion and enthusiasm for life and would put one hundred percent into everything he did. He lived to make those he loved happy and worked so hard every day to try and achieve the life he envisioned for his three babies.
“He was a beautiful person both inside out and would go out of his way to help anyone who needed it.”
The family also spoke of their devastation at the loss of James, and said he will be in their hearts forever.
“As a family we cannot even begin to understand how someone so full of life, love and energy is no longer here, he had so much more still to do and achieve. His passing has left behind a massive gap that will never be filled and has left us all utterly broken.
“Nothing will ever make the pain of tragically losing James any easier but we are extremely honoured to have had James in our lives and will ensure that his precious babies grow up knowing just how amazing their daddy was and how much he loved them.”
Sections of exits at Holdingham Roundabout will be closed for four Saturdays, starting next month.
Eurovia, highways improvement contractors, will be rebuilding sections of the A17 Newark and A15 Bourne legs at Holdingham Roundabout, and work begins on Saturday, July 3.
This will mean the A17 leg heading westbound towards Newark will be closed on Saturday, July 3 and Saturday, July 17 between 7am and 6pm.
The diversion route will be via the A15 south, A153 west and A607 north.
The roundabout is currently undergoing construction works. | Photo: Darren Daniels
Following on from that, the A15 heading southbound towards Bourne will close on Saturday, August 7 and Saturday, August 14, again between 7am and 6pm.
The diversion route for this will be A17 west, A607 south and A153 east.
Lincolnshire County Council are saying that these should be the last closures at Holdingham Roundabout until September, and work is still on track for a December completion.
Cllr Richard Davies, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Our improvements to Holdingham Roundabout are progressing really well and as planned.
“We’re now at the stage where we’ll be upgrading all of the roundabout’s legs so we can fit new approach lanes.
“In order to carry these works out over the next few months, we’ll be closing sections of the A17 and A15 where they exit the roundabout so the team can safely rebuild them.”
The £8.25 million scheme, which also funds the A17/A153 Sleaford Rugby Club works, has been funded by the Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership, North Kesteven District Council, Lincolnshire County Council, and developer contributions.
Lincoln City Football Club have been handed a huge financial boost, as the U.S. based Jabara family have become shareholders of the League One side.
The investment has been headed up by Harvey Jabara, an investment executive from Phoenix, Arizona who is a keen lover of sport.
He is the managing member of Olive Management LLC, a family office investment firm, but perhaps most excitingly, he is also a minority member of the consortium that owns Major League Baseball team the San Diego Padres.
He will join the existing group of shareholders in Lincoln City Holdings, which owns 75% of the football club, along with his wife Missy and two sons Jaxon and Jensen.
Harvey Jabara told BBC Radio Lincolnshire that the initial investment would be “high six-figures” and is for a 9% equity in the club.
As well as this, USA legend Landon Donovan, arguably the country’s most famous player ever, will be joining the Imps as a strategic advisor.
He will be working with the board to enhance the club’s networking and relationships across the pond within North America.
It is sure to stand the club in good stead for the foreseeable future, and the news comes on the same day that Virgin Wines were announced as the first of five front of shirt sponsors for next season’s home kit.
Virgin Wines will be one of five sponsors to go on the front of the shirt next season. | Photo: Lincoln City FC
Chairman Clive Nates said: “We are delighted to welcome Harvey, Landon and the Jabara family to Lincoln City Football Club.
“We are continually on the lookout for like-minded people to join our current group of investors to assist with the ongoing development of the Club financially, and also importantly, contribute their knowledge and acumen.
“We have been talking to Harvey and Landon for some time now, but right from the initial meetings, it was clear to see we were aligned in our vision and values for the club.
“Landon has for some time been assisting his close family friend Harvey on finding the right club to partner. It is great for all that we can also benefit from Landon and his vast experience.
“I am sure all Imps fans will join me in welcoming Harvey, Missy, Jaxon, Jensen, and Landon to Lincoln City Football Club.”
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