August 31, 2020 11.49 am This story is over 43 months old

Over half a century in jail for county lines drug gang

Six more gang members sentenced
Jordan West, Leslie Aytoun, Craig Owen, Lisa Michaelson, Trevor Willoughby and Dean Hall have all been jailed. | Photo: Humberside Police

Six more members of an organised crime group operating in Grimsby have been jailed for a combined total of 20 years after a complex investigation into county lines drug supply and dealing.

Five others were sentenced in June this year, giving a total for all 11 members of 56 years and seven months behind bars. A twelfth member of the group will be sentenced at a later date.

Humberside Police said the ringleaders behind the drugs operation were based in Merseyside and Grimsby.

They transported £1.38 million of heroin and crack cocaine into the Lincolnshire town over an 18-month period. They then used local people, as well as some from outside Humberside Police’s force area, to sell the drugs.

Leslie Aytoun, 49 of Lochinvar Street in Liverpool ran the operation with the ‘graft’ drug phone taking calls from drug users in Grimsby. He directed them where to go to pick up heroin and crack cocaine.

He was charged with two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A controlled drugs – one for heroin and one for crack cocaine – between September 2017 and March 2019. She was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Scott Hendry, Andres Vassou, Jamie Shaw, Reece Navarro and Lee Healey are all behind bars. Photo: Humberside Police

Scott Hendry, 27, of Longshaw Street in Warrington controlled local and non-local drug runners in Grimsby. He was arrested and charged with the same offences and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Andres Vassou, 30, of Queens Drive, Stoneycroft, was the transportation to resupply the drugs, travelling between Liverpool and Grimsby by car and train. He was sentenced to eight years in prison in June.

Trevor Willoughby, 38, and Lisa Michaelson, 35, both of Wintringham Road in Grimsby pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to permitting their premise to be used for the purpose of Class A drug supply. They were both sentenced to 14 months each in prison.

Craig Owen, 32, of Overton Court, Barton, was sentenced to three years and nine months behind bars. He entered a guilty plea to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between September 2017 and March 2019, and also threatening unlawful violence towards another in August 2019 at an earlier hearing.

Jordan West, 27, of Meltonby Avenue in Hull and Korban Price, 20, of no fixed abode, both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs between September 2017 and March 2019. West was sentenced to two years and three months in prison, but Price’s sentencing was deferred to a later date.

Dean Hall, 25, of Cotton Lane in Runcorn pleaded guilty to the same offence and was sentenced to eight months in prison.

Also charged with the same offence were:

  • Jamie Blythe, also known as Jamie Shaw, 23, of Pine Road in Runcorn – sentenced to two years and 11 months
  • Lee Healey, also known as Lee Blackburn, 33, of Centenary Close in Liverpool – sentenced to nine years
  • Reece Navarro, 21, of Hillside Road in Liverpool – sentenced to two years and eight months

Darren Gray, Detective Sergeant at Humberside Police, said: “We will not tolerate any type of organised crime and I hope the final result sends out a very clear message to anyone who is involved in the supply of drugs and dealing, or anyone who is thinking about becoming involved, that we will not stop in our efforts to dismantle your groups and disrupt your criminality.”