Trio from Pontefract jailed as part of £2m Class A drugs supply ring

Two women and one man from Pontefract have been jailed for their part in a cocaine supply ring worth over £2million.
Ceri O'HaraCeri O'Hara
Ceri O'Hara

David Mangham, 46, of Sowgate Lane, Pontefract was for 18 years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following a trial.

Ceri O’Hara, 37,of Wakefield Road, Pontefract was sentenced to five years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs after pleading guilty.

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Chrissie Elstob, 36,of Holmfield Close, Pontefract was jailed for three years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs after a trial.

Chrissie ElstobChrissie Elstob
Chrissie Elstob

The men were jailed in November last year with details of their sentences being released now after the final two men involved in the crime, Marcus Anderson and Andre Knott, were jailed on Tuesday this week.

Anderson, 33, of Brooklawn Close, Prestwich has been jailed for nine years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Knott, 34, of Houghton Road, Manchester, has been jailed for seven years for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

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The investigation, Operation Vertex, began in March 2016 and ran until October 2017, during which time the group conspired to supply over £2million worth of cocaine.

David ManghamDavid Mangham
David Mangham

The group were monitored using encrypted phones, safe houses and couriers to supply and collect the drugs in an attempt to avoid detection by police.

Anderson is believed to be the leader of the group which was part of a ring involving other gangs in the North West, North East and the Midlands.

In total 15kg of cocaine was recovered during the investigation with a street value of almost £2.5million.

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Three kilograms of cocaine was seized from Phillip Gasson on April 27 2016 and 12kg of cocaine was seized from Lee Shawcross on May 20 2016.

Andre KnottAndre Knott
Andre Knott

On each of these occasions the drugs were shipped the same bags, and led officers to believe that the drugs were coming from the same source and moving through a supply chain.

Police observed Jason Eddison involved in at least 13 handovers of packages suspected to be cocaine or cash. He was also seen meeting individuals in car parks and lay-bys and would drive significant distances in order to make exchanges before returning to Manchester.

Det Supt Jon Chadwick from GMP’s Serious and Organised Crime Group said: “GMP and Salford division take the threat posed by organised crime very seriously.

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“Our aim is to make our communities as safe as possible and one of our tactics is the robust investigation of high level criminals whether they originate from Greater Manchester or not.

Marcus Anderson.Marcus Anderson.
Marcus Anderson.

“We also work very closely with our partner agencies to ensure we have a joined up approach for our full range of tactics.

“We are very pleased with the sentences that this group have received. These convictions send out the message that crossing force boundaries does not reduce the chances of being arrested and no matter how long it takes we won’t stop until we have brought those who bring drugs onto our streets to justice.”

The below men and women were sentenced at previous hearings:

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Lee Shawcross, 23, of Morecambe Close, Manchester, was jailed in June 2016 for six years after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine.

Luke Bullock, 33, of Denby Bank, Marehay, Derbyshire was also jailed in November 2017 for 13 years following a trial for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

Phillip Gasson, 36,of no fixed address was jailed in April 2017 for six years after pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply Class A drugs.

Jason Eddison, 49, of Bridson Street in Salford, was jailed in November 2017 for eight years after admitting conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.