Four more jailed over cocaine empire that involved ex Leeds United player
A former semi-pro footballer and a taxi driver are among those jailed over a major cocaine supply chain based in Leeds but stretched from Liverpool to the North East.
Dealing in vast quantities of the drug, the gang was finally busted after police cracked the infamous EncroChat system they each used to communicate about their lucrative dealings.
Today at Leeds Crown Court, four more were jailed for more than 50 years in total after they were each found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine following a trial.
David Brierley, age 38, of Woodbridge Green, Headingley, was responsible for sourcing a flat in which the drugs would be diluted and repackaged. He was jailed for 12-and-a-half years after he had also admitted conspiracy to supply amphetamine.
Michal Stanislawczuk, age 39, of Grayswood Drive, Bradford, was jailed for 12 years. He set up a makeshift laboratory to unsuccessfully extract cocaine from oil and was a “trusted lieutenant” in the operation.
Safdar Pervez, age 52, of Easterly Road, Leeds, was a taxi driver who agreed to transport quantities of drugs around the country. He was jailed for 11 years.
Finally, Daryll Hall, of Farnley Close, County Durham, was a leading operator who organised buying and selling drugs on a “commercial scale”.
The 39-year-old, who previously played semi professional football in North East and later became a boxer, was handed a 15-year jail sentence - but he is currently on the run, having absconded before the trial.
The offending took place during 2019 and 2020 until police were able to infiltrate the secretive communications network EncroChat.
National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators unravelled the drugs conspiracy after a fist-sized bag of cocaine and the EncroChat handset were seized from ex-footballer Paul Shepherd's car April 2020.
Judge Robin Mairs said the trial of the four was simply a “snapshot” of the gang’s illegal dealings.
He said: “This was a professional, commercial and sizeable operation in both quantity and in geography.
“It spanned from Liverpool to the North East of England. It had all the hallmarks of a major commercial Class A supply.”
Speaking after sentencing, NCA Operations Manager Nigel Coles said: "Our complex and extensive investigation has brought down every member of this dangerous criminal network, from the mastermind behind the conspiracy to couriers transporting both firearms and drugs across the north of England.
"Lengthy custodial sentences have been given to all the members of this organised crime group and the investigation has stopped significant quantities of harmful drugs reaching our communities.
"At the NCA we are committed to our mission of protecting the public from serious and organised crime, and in dismantling this network we have made our communities a safer place to live."