International drugs gang smashed

10:01pm Tuesday 12th February 2008

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By Charlotte Bradshaw »

AN INTERNATIONAL crime gang which imported £1million worth of drugs into the UK was being run from a travellers' camp in East Lancashire.

Police said the "sophisticated" group - led by travellers John Varey and Elias Smith - was one of the country's biggest drugs gangs.

Twelve men - from the leader down to the courier - are facing lengthy jail sentences after 20 kilos of heroin and cocaine destined for the streets were seized by police.

Police said the UK base for the gang's operations was Whinney Hill Caravan Park on the Altham and Huncoat boarder.

Planning, meetings and communication were carried out from the site off Whalley Road, according to officers.

Damien O'Connor, 43, was controlling the operation from his home in Belgium.

As well as using email, members of the gang communicated using telephone boxes in Manchester Road, Hapton; Dill Hall Lane, Accrington and Union Road in Oswaldtwistle.

Detective Superintendent Dave Brian, head of Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit, said: "This was what we would call a complete organised crime group.

"It was a sophisticated international gang.

"This is without doubt one of the biggest gangs operating outside of London, if not the rest of the country.

"Recovered in this operation was a serious amount of Class A drugs intended for distribution throughout the country.

"It's been a huge success for us as we caught everyone from the lad who was the courier to the main organisers and the whole lot in between."

Eleven of the defendants have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply the Class A drugs heroin and cocaine.

O'Connor, resident in Belgium, was found guilty of the same charge at Liverpool Crown Court.

The gang will be sentenced next month.

They are: Varey, 27, and Smith, 28, both of Whinney Hill Caravan Park, Atham; Edward Smith, 21, of West Crescent, Accrington; Daniel Cregg, 29, of Catlow Hall Street, Oswaldtwistle and Andrew Dixon, 23 of Roe Greave Road, Oswaldtwistle.

Other defendents are Lee Finglas, 24, of Sharples Street, Accrington; James Shane Craw, 43, Hale Carr Lane, Morecambe; Stephen Marshall, 32, Edenvale Crescent, Lancaster; Thomas Casey, 44, Derby Lane, Liverpool; Colin Roberts, 47, Brookland Road East, Liverpool; Majeed Shah, 32, King Street, Lancaster.

Gang courier Robert Keegans, 39, of Lancaster, has already been sentenced to seven years for his part in the plot.

Lancashire Constabulary's Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO) worked together under the codename Operation Medlar to snare the gang.

The investigation saw evidence taken in England, Belgium and the Netherlands.

O'Connor had been using The Phone Shop internet cafe in Antwerp, Belgium to make arrangements with delivery teams across East Lancashire and Merseyside.

Police said twenty kilos of heroin and cocaine were shipped into the UK from the Northern European city.

Officers said the gang was headed in the UK by Elias Smith and Varey, who had direct contact with Craw and Marshall.

Together with Edward Smith, they controlled and directed the activities of Daniel Cregg, Lee Finglas and Andrew Dixon.

Cregg ran the lower tier of the gang while Finglas ran' for Cregg, delivering drugs to several lower level dealers, while Dixon collected the money owed from the dealers supplied by Finglas.

From August to December 2006 numerous conversations and meetings were recorded by surveillance teams.

It culminated in more than 200 officers swooping on addresses across the county in a series of co-ordinated early morning raids that stretched into Merseyside and to Belgium in February last year.

Detectives, accompanied by search and entry trained officers, specialist firearms officers and dog handlers, raided 22 addresses including homes in East Lancashire.

A number of firearms, including shotguns and a hand gun, were recovered in the raids and a large quantity of cash was discovered.

Det Supt Brian added: "This shows how Lancashire Constabulary is making Lancashire a difficult place for organised criminals to operate."