A group of bad people who did very bad things with drugs and money got punished with very long time in jail. They used special phones to talk to each other about their illegal activities, but the police figured out what they were saying in their messages and found out who was involved.
The group had five members, including a dad and his son. They all had different roles in a big operation to sell cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, and hide the dirty money between March and June 2020. But the police were able to stop their criminal business in Coventry by getting into their secret phone network.
One of the bad guys, named Michael Browne, didn’t show up for his trial at a big court in Birmingham. Even though he wasn’t there, they found him guilty of selling drugs and cleaning up lots of money, and he got put in jail for 24 years on May 30. Now they’re looking for him all around the world, and when they catch him, he’ll have to stay in jail even longer.
Another guy in the gang, Callum Hewitt, who is 26 and lives on Frederick Neal Avenue in Coventry, admitted to selling cocaine during his trial and got an eight-year prison sentence. A guy named Jake Neilson, who is 33 and lives on Berners Close in Coventry, said he helped with selling really bad drugs and hiding money. He got locked up for 19 years and nine months.
Keilum Doherty, who is 30 and lives on Shakespeare Street in Coventry, admitted to selling other bad drugs and hiding money. He got put in jail for eight years and six months. Michael Browne Sr, who is 61 and lives on Berners Close in Coventry, said he sold bad drugs too and got a three-year and nine-month jail sentence. They found out from his son’s phone that they worked together to sell a lot of cannabis that they made themselves.
The police started a special thing called Operation Target to fight against serious crimes like drug dealing, stealing, cybercrime, and tricking people for money. They are using their knowledge and taking away bad things, searching homes, and going after the bad guys as part of this operation.
A very important person called Chief Inspector Peter Cooke, who works for the police, said that they were able to stop a big operation with drugs and money laundering. He promised that they won’t stop until they catch Browne Jr and bring him to justice. He said that this is just one part of their work to stop drug gangs and bad people, and they will keep doing it as part of Operation Target.
If you know where Browne Jr is, you can tell the police by talking to them on the internet or calling 101. You can also tell the charity Crimestoppers without giving your name at 0800 555 111. Remember, it’s important to tell them what you know, not who you are.
