Latest news with #drugsupply
The Sun
5 days ago
- The Sun
Drug dealer son of iconic 1990s band's lead singer who was snared by cops after finding messages about his dad is jailed
THE drug dealer son of an iconic '90s singer has been jailed after being identified in texts linked to his dad. Thomas Hooton, 30, was trusted to broker multi-million pound drug deals for organised criminals using an encrypted messaging service. 2 2 However, specialist officers were able to identify the criminal - who was using the name "Ownraptor" - by linking messages on the account to the identity of his dad Peter Hooton, 62, lead singer of The Farm. Today, the 30-year-old was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court to 10 years and eight months in prison after previously pleading guilty to conspiring to supply heroin, cocaine, cannabis and ketamine. Specialist investigators had managed to nick the drug dealer after piecing together a number of clues about his identity - including pictures of his musician dad with the Champions League trophy. On one occasion, an associate sent Hooton a picture of his dad Peter and also made comments linking the criminal to him. Hooton also spoke in messages about driving a Black Audi A3 and that his 'arl fella'' arranged his insurance for him. Official checks then showed Peter Hooton had insured a black Audi A3 for his son. After being arrested by officers from Merseyside's Organised Crime Partnership in April, Hooton later pleaded guilty to the supply of a number of drugs. All in all, he had been messaging criminals on the service EncroChat to deal drugs with a wholesale value of around £1.3 million. The drug dealer had 41 different names for contacts within EncroChat and had a County Lines drug supply to criminals across Scotland as well as north-east and southern England. A spokesperson for the National Crime Agency said: "At the very minimum, Hooton was involved in the supply of 42.5kg of cannabis, 3.25kg of heroin, 10 kg of cocaine and 1kg of ketamine. "His messages said he was in possession of around £400,000 and owed £258,000." His offences were committed between March 26 and June 4 in 2020. Detective Chief Inspector Lynsay Armbruster said: "It's clear Hooton was involved in organised crime for a long time before he was charged. "His criminal and geographical reach will have taken considerable time to establish. "His drug supply operations were on an almost daily basis, they were sustained and spanned the UK working with high level criminals." EncroChat was infiltrated and taken down in 2020 by a European taskforce.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Yahoo
Drug dealer jailed after texting police by mistake
A drug dealer who accidentally texted a police officer about his new drug line has been jailed. Jack Johannesen, 23, of Stirling Close, Sandy, Bedfordshire, admitted two counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis - and one count of breaching bail conditions. Bedfordshire Police said he was part of an organised crime croup (OCG) operating across Biggleswade and Sandy supplying cannabis, crack cocaine and heroin. Det Con Adam Geary said it was vital the force continued "to work together and make our communities an inhospitable place for drug-dealers such as Johannesen". He was handed two years and 10 months at a sentencing hearing at Luton Crown Court. Mobile phones On 25 October last year, officers executed a warrant at Johannesen's home address where he was arrested for being concerned in the supply of class B drugs. Multiple mobile phones were seized from the property, including one found in the kitchen bin which he had attempted to smash up. Messages downloaded from all devices showed more than 400 numbers were contacted about drugs available and costs. Johannesen was bailed, but eight days later, used a newly registered phone to send a message with his new deal line. However, he mistakenly sent the message to a police officer's work phone – one of the officers who had been at the initial warrant. On 28 November, another warrant was executed at his address where he was further arrested for being concerned in the supply of class A and class B drugs. A small amount of cannabis, high value designer items and nearly £2,000 in cash was seized. On this occasion, Johannesen had also attempted to hide a mobile phone behind a wardrobe which was discovered when it started ringing during the search. On Friday, Johannsen pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and one count of breaching his bail conditions at Luton Crown Court. He also denied - and was found not guilty - of a charge relating to the supply of cocaine. Det Con Geary added: "Johannesen is now rightfully behind bars and we urge anyone with information about other drug-related crimes to come forward so we can continue to secure convictions against others who seek to cause harm." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. Related internet links Bedfordshire Police Courts and Tribunals Judiciary
BBC News
21-07-2025
- BBC News
Drug dealer from Sandy jailed after texting police by mistake
A drug dealer who accidentally texted a police officer about his new drug line has been Johannesen, 23, of Stirling Close, Sandy, Bedfordshire, admitted two counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis - and one count of breaching bail Police said he was part of an organised crime croup (OCG) operating across Biggleswade and Sandy supplying cannabis, crack cocaine and Con Adam Geary said it was vital the force continued "to work together and make our communities an inhospitable place for drug-dealers such as Johannesen". He was handed two years and 10 months at a sentencing hearing at Luton Crown Court. Mobile phones On 25 October last year, officers executed a warrant at Johannesen's home address where he was arrested for being concerned in the supply of class B mobile phones were seized from the property, including one found in the kitchen bin which he had attempted to smash downloaded from all devices showed more than 400 numbers were contacted about drugs available and was bailed, but eight days later, used a newly registered phone to send a message with his new deal he mistakenly sent the message to a police officer's work phone – one of the officers who had been at the initial 28 November, another warrant was executed at his address where he was further arrested for being concerned in the supply of class A and class B drugs.A small amount of cannabis, high value designer items and nearly £2,000 in cash was this occasion, Johannesen had also attempted to hide a mobile phone behind a wardrobe which was discovered when it started ringing during the Friday, Johannsen pleaded guilty to two counts of being concerned in the supply of cannabis and one count of breaching his bail conditions at Luton Crown also denied - and was found not guilty - of a charge relating to the supply of Con Geary added: "Johannesen is now rightfully behind bars and we urge anyone with information about other drug-related crimes to come forward so we can continue to secure convictions against others who seek to cause harm." Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Yahoo
£20,000 found in Liverpool garden as girl, 13, and five others arrested
Six people, including a 13-year-old girl, have been arrested after a suspected stolen Sur-ron bike was spotted being ridden dangerously in the Huyton area of Liverpool on Monday (July 14). The following day (July 15), police carried out raids at two properties in the Bakers Green area, the Liverpool Echo reported. At one property officers found drug supply paraphernalia, a Sur-ron bike and a Ghost EAPC (e-bike) that were suspected stolen and subsequently seized. READ MORE: The 5 simple tricks to speed up your broadband READ MORE: 5 retro RPGs you can play right now guaranteed to make you feel like a kid again - you won't have heard of one of them According to Knowsley Police, a search of a neighbouring garden revealed three large bags containing a large quantity of cannabis, suspected cocaine and around £20,000 in cash. In a second property officers seized another Sur-ron that was suspected to be stolen. Police said following a search of another neighbouring garden, a bag containing cannabis, drug supply paraphernalia and a large amount of cash was found. Six people from Huyton were arrested and taken to police stations for questioning. A 57-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and has been released on police bail pending further enquiries. A 25-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class A and B drug (cannabis) with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. He has been released under investigation. A 42-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of a Class A drug with intent to supply and has been released on police bail pending further enquiries. A 38-year-old woman was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. She has been released under investigation. A 13-year-old girl was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and possession of criminal property. She has been released under investigation and is being safeguarded. A child protection enquiry is ongoing. A 19-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply, theft of a motor vehicle, driving a motor vehicle dangerously and not in accordance with a licence or insurance. He has been released under investigation. Local Policing Superintendent Karl Baldwin said: 'These arrests come as part of our ongoing work for EVOLVE Liverpool-Knowsley – our Clear, Hold, Build initiative that targets serious and organised crime, seeking to improve areas worst affected and build better futures. 'This is just the latest police operation in our relentless campaign to target criminality in the EVOLVE area and across Knowsley. 'We arrested three people on July 10, seized thousands in cash, two e-bikes and recovered drugs with a street value of tens of thousands after executing a series of warrants. 'Over the last few weeks, we've seized more than 20 illegal or suspected stolen e-bikes, and since May made more than 15 e-bike related robbery arrests. 'The message is clear - we're tackling crime and anti-social behaviour relentlessly across Knowsley and we know the vast majority of the public are with us. "If you're committing crime in Knowsley, we'll do everything we can to bring you to justice.' Superintendent Baldwin added: 'Drug-dealing and reckless riding of e-bikes brings fear and danger into our communities, and we are determined to take those responsible off our streets. 'To make the biggest difference we need communities to work with us. Every report matters and every voice makes a difference. 'When you come forward with information, whether it is directly to us or via Crimestoppers anonymously, you're standing up for yourself, your street and your family. 'We will listen and we will act – we will not let criminals create havoc in your communities.' You can contact Merseyside Police with information about crime via Merseyside Police Contact Centre on X, 'Merseyside Police Contact Centre' on Facebook, 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress. An anonymous report can also be made to Crimestoppers online here:
BBC News
15-07-2025
- BBC News
Man jailed after £1m of cocaine found in car boot near Alvechurch
A man has been jailed for more than 12 years after police found £1.3m in drugs in the boot of his car following a 120mph chase on the Sherratt, 48, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cocaine, possessing the drug with intent to supply, and dangerous was sentenced to 12 years and nine months at Warwick Crown Court on 7 was driving a black Peugeot 3008 when officers from West Midlands Police attempted to pull him over. They believed the car was linked to drugs. Sherratt drove off, reaching speeds of up to 120mph on the southbound side of the M5, before heading onto the followed him in both a car and a vehicle was stung and lost a tyre - Sherratt was subsequently arrested on the M42 near Alvechurch. The force said his boot contained Sports Direct bags, each one holding 18kg of cocaine, with the total value up to £ smashed his phone against the dashboard in what police believe was an attempt to destroy his arrest, he told officers: "Good day at the office, lads."Messages showed he had been involved in the collection of a further 135kg of drugs - worth up to £5m in said he would deliver the drugs around the country, earning up to £2,000 per kilogram."Sherratt's attempt to get away from our officers was dangerous and put other road users at risk, but great work by the road crime team meant the pursuit was brought to a safe conclusion," said Det Ch Insp Peter Cooke."He played a significant role in the distribution of drugs around the country but will now be spending years behind bars."West Mercia Police said he had 12 previous convictions for 19 offences, which date back to was jailed for six years in 2016 for conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was further jailed for more than four years in 2020 for additional drugs offences. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
