Drug gang gets total of 70 years

EIGHT members of a gang responsible for flooding the UK with £26m worth of drugs have been jailed for nearly 70 years.

- BY JON MACPHERSON

The “staggering” conspiracy was headed by drugs baron Jack Donegan, who directed the distribution of cocaine and ketamine through a trusted team of couriers and associates.

The organised crime group's reach extended throughout the north west of England and beyond, supplying customers as far afield as Derby, London and Great Yarmouth.

Hundreds of kilos of Class A drugs were moved across the country, generating tens of millions of pounds in profit, while causing misery in the communities where these drugs were sold.

It came crashing down following a “meticulous and far-reaching investigation” by the North West Organised Crime Unit.

A drug ledger recovered from Donegan’s phone revealed the supply of more than 800 kilograms of Class A drugs and profits exceeding £26 million.

The 29-year-old relied on a network of trusted couriers including John Anderson, David Shelley, Nathan O'Hare, Kevin Pledger, Sean Windsor and Ellis Nolan, who transported drugs nationwide.

At the same time, Philip Moores acted as the group's “minder” storing and distributing drugs on Donegan’s instruction.