A "county lines" drugs gang which plotted to flood the streets with large volumes of high-purity cocaine has been jailed.
Mark Shergold played a leading role in the conspiracy to supply class A drugs, alongside Dennis Cairns and David Waterhouse. A court heard Shergold was living a "lavish lifestyle" way beyond any legitimate means he had.
He was convicted after a trial while Cairns and Waterhouse admitted their involvement. Now Shergold has been jailed for 15 years while Cairns got 63 months and Waterhouse was given 308 days, resulting in his immediate release given the time he has spent on remand.
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Judge Sarah Mallett, at Newcastle Crown Court, told them: "It's a conspiracy over a three-month period from late 2018 to early 2019. This was a well-planned and executed county lines operation.
"Mark Shergold your role is demonstrated by the fact you used a number of different vehicles, including hire cars, to avoid detection. Your lifestyle indicated an ability to fund a lavish lifestyle without any legitimate income being disclosed to HMRC.
"Mark Shergold you were directing this operation with a close link to the original source and with an expectation of significant financial gain."
The court heard that on one day, police recovered six kilos of cocaine, at 90-95% purity, worth £200,000 at wholesale values. An investigation into the trio’s shady dealings was launched back in October 2018 which saw detectives monitor their movements in and around Sunderland.
Officers watched courier Waterhouse drive his van to Ribble Road to meet Cairns where he handed him a bag containing four kilos of cocaine, which detectives later found and seized at his home on Rhodesia Road. Following the drop off, Waterhouse was then seen driving to Southwick Road where he met Shergold.
Later that day, officers arrested Cairns and intercepted Waterhouse on the A1 as he headed back to his home in Oldham. Shergold was later arrested at his home. All three men were brought into custody and had their homes searched.
Detectives uncovered a quantity of white powder from Cairns' Peugeot and the four kilos he was given by Waterhouse, which had been hidden under a quilt inside a wardrobe. They also recovered £16,000 in cash and two blocks of cocaine from Waterhouse’s van. When they searched Shergold’s home they found a quantity of tablets as well as receipts showing deposits of more than £12,000 cash.
Shergold, 45, of Cliffe Park, Sunderland was found guilty of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and two counts of possessing criminal property after a two-week trial.
Cairns, 60, of Rhodesia Road, Sunderland and Waterhouse, 70, of Kingston Avenue, Oldham, pleaded guilty to supplying a Class A drug.
Cairns pleaded guilty on the basis he was a warehouser and courer who got involved due to debts and was put under pressure, including with threats of serious violence. Waterhouse admitted his involvement on the basis he made deliveries about twice a week after getting into debt due to a tax bill and falling victim to a pension scam. He initially got involved in it as a cannabis conspiracy but it then became cocaine.
The court heard Waterhouse's health has deteriorated and he would struggle in prison. He said he was threatened with a gun when he tried to withdraw from the plot.
Speaking after the sentencing, Detective Inspector Amber Renton from Northumbria Police’ s Serious and Organised Crime team, said: “Today marks the end of a long-running investigation and I am pleased with the sentences handed down.
“These men knew exactly what they were doing and turned a blind eye to the harm illegal drugs can cause in our communities because they believed they were above the law and wanted to make money.
“We know that Illicit substances, especially those which are highly addictive, cause real damage to people’s lives and neighbourhoods. We make no apologies for our continued activity under the banner of Operation Sentinel, where we pursue those who have a role in supplying, distributing and dealing these awful substances.
“I hope these sentences show our communities how determined we are to tackle this type of criminality. We’d ask people to keep taking a stand against organised crime by reporting suspicious activity to us and not letting offenders get away with it.”
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