Cramlington man Liam Pow who headed up 'slick' drugs gang is jailed for more than 14 years

Ringleader Liam Pow, from Wreay Walk in Cramlington, and his shady business associates Scott Ridley, Tiffany Day and Christopher Phillips were jailed on Thursday.

And on Friday their couriers – Alexander Bales, Jace Farrell and David Storey – were also sent to prison.

The cocaine dealers were involved in a large-scale conspiracy which came to light after police infiltrated their encrypted messages.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how officers tackling Serious and Organised Crime launched a complex investigation into the group at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, between March and July 2020.

They mapped their movements and conversations using surveillance and telecoms data, and infiltrated their encrypted messages. As a result, a number of people were arrested following raids at properties in Cramlington, West Denton, Walker and further afield in Newton Aycliffe.

Officers seized three kilos of cocaine with a street value of £135,000 as well as £260,000 of suspected criminal cash - £100,000 of which was being kept safe by so-called ‘cash holder’ Storey, and another £100,00 from Pow’s address.

All, except for Day, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply and were sentenced as follows:

• Liam Pow, 34, was jailed for 14 years and four months;

• Scott Ridley, 32, of Walkerfield Court in Newcastle, was jailed for nine years and four months;

• Tiffany Day, 30, also of Walkerfield Court, denied her involvement but was found guilty following a trial and jailed for three years;

• Christopher Phillips, 30, of Clapham Avenue, Newcastle, was jailed for four years and six months;

• Alexander Peter James Bales, 25, of Ida Place Newton Aycliffe, was jailed for four years and nine months;

• Jace Michael Farrell, 26, of Phoenix Place in Newton Aycliffe, was jailed for four years and nine months;

• David Storey, 29, of Welbeck Road, Walker, was jailed for five years and one month.

Three more men implicated in the conspiracy have also pleaded guilty and will be sentenced in the new year.

Speaking after the sentencings, Detective Chief Inspector Marc Michael said: “We have made it clear that illicit substances like cocaine have no place in our communities and anyone involved in the production, supply or distribution will be pursued under the banner of Operation Sentinel – our dedicated initiative to tackling Serious and Organised Crime.

“This group was monitored by specialist officers over a five-month period during the global pandemic – a time when most people were pulling together and following the rules to help their communities out.

"But instead of doing that, this group met up to exchange illegal Class A drugs, criminal cash and plot how to make more ill-gotten gains.

“Thankfully our evidence enabled us to make a number of arrests and secure swift charges. Thanks to support from our criminal justice partners, a solid case was presented before the courts and has resulted in eight convictions and a number of organised criminals being placed behind bars.

“Our communities are undoubtedly a better place thanks to this result. We have made it clear that this type of offending will not be tolerated and we will continue to work hard to disrupt this type of criminality.”