Drugs gang ran illegal enterprise on social media and even offered competitions

POLICE FOUND LARGE BUCKETS OF CANNABIS IN BOOT OF CAR

- By SOPHIE FAGONE BUSCIMESE

Elvis Zogu Henry Raisbeck Davey Holmes Alex Hall Jay Hall Leroy Wyatt Damien Wyatt Craig Wyatt Leon Lander Simon Dykes

CRIMINALS from Nottinghamshire played leading roles in a gang which flooded part of Derbyshire with drugs sold on Snapchat.

The gang mainly used the social media app to sell their drugs and operated on a collection and delivery service. Social media was also used by the group to run competitions and give away freebies.

The leader of the conspiracy was Evis Zogu, from Mansfield, who sourced large amounts of the cannabis that was sold.

Henry Raisbeck, Thomas Soler and Samuel Dixon, all from Worksop, worked alongside him, co-ordinating the supply and distribution of Class A and B drugs into Creswell from Nottinghamshire.

Stephen Newton was used as a driver and enforcer for those higher up the chain, while Claire Whittaker - the partner of Davey Holmes - helped him with the supply side of the business.

The conspiracy came to light in October 2020 when police attempted to stop a suspicious vehicle in Skinner Street, Creswell. The car failed to stop and drove dangerously before crashing in Duchess Street.

Driver Alex Hall and passenger Kieran Birnie fled but officers found three large buckets containing 5kg of cannabis worth between £22,200 and £27,000 in the boot.

After the crash, Jay Hall, brother of Alex Hall, made a 999 call to police claiming he was the driver and that the contents belonged to him. He was arrested later that evening but enquiries showed this was a lie and Jay Hall was in the pub all night.

This incident led to the downfall of the group’s supply empire as members began to try and sell more drugs to recoup the losses made when the car crashed. This, however, led to arguments in the group, with threats being made.