Seven members of a county lines network supplying class A drugs in the Weymouth area have been sentenced at court.
John Smith, aged 25 and of Widnes in Cheshire, Cameron Richard Woods, aged 24 and of Liverpool, James William Fox, age 22 and of Knowsley in Merseyside, Simon Lee Goddard, aged 52 and of Weymouth, and Luke Ward, aged 24 and of Widnes, were all sentenced at Bristol Crown Court on Friday 25 August 2023 after admitting conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
Two further defendants – Dylan O’Neill, aged 22 and of Liverpool, and David McDonagh, aged 30 and of Liverpool – were also sentenced for the same offence at the same court on Thursday 5 October 2023.
Smith was sentenced to four and a half years in prison, Woods was jailed for three and a half years and Fox received a prison sentence of two and a half years. Goddard and Ward both received two year jail terms, suspended for two years.
O’Neill was sentenced to 28 months in prison and McDonagh received a 24-month sentence, suspended for 18 months.
The defendants were charged following a detailed investigation by Dorset Police’s Serious Organised Crime Investigation Team (SOCIT) into a drugs gang operating between Liverpool and the Weymouth area from November 2018 to February 2019.
Enquiries by officers revealed a dedicated phone line was being used to send ‘broadcast texts’ advertising the availability of drugs for sale to local users.
Through their investigative work, detectives were able to link the phone line to the defendants and the operation culminated in a series of arrests.
On Tuesday 18 December 2018 Goddard, Fox and Smith were arrested at an address of a vulnerable individual in Weymouth as officers conducted a welfare check. At the address they found nearly £3,000 worth of crack cocaine and heroin and also seized mobile phones that were found to have messages indicating the involvement in drug supply.
Three days later O’Neill was arrested following reports of drug dealing on the Rodwell Trail. He was found in possession of £1,000 in cash and again his phone was seized with analysis revealing links to those involved in the county lines supply operation.
The following day Ward and Fox were stopped by officers following reports of further dealing in the town and were found in possession of numerous mobile phones, cash and wraps of class A drugs.
Further cash and drugs were found at an address in Chickerell Road on Sunday 30 December 2018, with Woods and O’Neill present at the property. They were arrested and their phones were seized.
McDonagh was arrested on Wednesday 6 March 2019 following a further warrant at an address in Liverpool, with more drugs recovered from that premises.
In total police seized more than 800 wraps of class A drugs as well as more than £15,000 in cash.
Detective Superintendent Andy Dilworth, Dorset Police’s Director of Intelligence, said: “This was a major county lines operation to export class A drugs from Liverpool to the Weymouth area. Through our extensive investigation and the actions of officers responding to information, we have been able to identify those involved and bring them before the courts.
“We are fully aware of the detrimental impact the supply of class A drugs has on our local communities and we are committed to disrupting the operations of those involved in the supply chain.
“We will continue to respond to information received and take robust and positive action to send a message that drug dealing will not be tolerated in Dorset.”
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