Revealed: Mr Big of drug dealers

A Mr Big of the drugs underworld who made up to £1million by selling cocaine and heroin to other pushers in Wolverhampton can today be exposed.

Christopher Reid, aged 34, splashed out on eight houses and two Porsches with what detectives say were the proceeds of a major criminal enterprise in the Black Country.

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Reid, a Jamaican who went by the street name Yardie, was today facing years in jail along with two other men.

Today the full story of Reid and the police operation which smashed his network can be told for the first time.

His yellow Porsche with the personalised Y9 RDY number plate was a familiar sight on the streets of Wolverhampton as he operated around Deansfield and East Park.

He cruised around the region in flash cars and bought eight homes, despite having a declared annual income of just £12,000. Detectives today described him as "arrogant" for believing he was above the law.

Reid was living at Julian Road, Eastfield, but had properties around Wolverhampton and Walsall. He was yesterday found guilty after a five-week trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court of conspiracy to supply heroin, crack, cocaine and cannabis.

At the time of his arrest, exactly a year ago this week, the father-of-one was on the verge of moving into an upmarket neighbourhood of Wolverhampton and had ambitious plans to demolish a four-bedroom bungalow in Windmill Lane and replace it with a house and conservatory. The jury also convicted him yesterday of conspiracy to steal £71,000 of watches from Argos in a heist, which the court heard would have been used to fund his illegal deals.

Stephen Hopson, aged 20, and 23-year-old Silford Taylor were also found guilty of the drugs charges following a major trial.

Hopson, of Willenhall Road, Wolverhampton, and Taylor, of Kenilworth Crescent, Parkfields, also face jail.

But Reid was the kingpin of the operation and his conviction is seen as a major success for Wednesfield police. Reporting restrictions, which prevented the Express & Star from making any mention of the case, have now been lifted after the jury returned its unanimous guilty verdicts following a day of deliberations.

Judge Michael Dudley told lawyers for the men yesterday afternoon: "They know they are facing lengthy terms of imprisonment."

He adjourned the case for pre-sentence reports to be drawn up. Det Ch Insp Mark Payne, the senior investigating officer on the case, said today: "The residents of Deansfield and East Park are decent, honest people. Reid, Hopson and Taylor lived among these people, dealing drugs, and flaunting the proceeds."

Reid told the court he made his money as a car valeter. He said the name Yardie, slang for a Jamaican gangster, was given to him because he would often tell people he would be at his "yard".

A major financial operation is now under way to make Reid pay back the proceeds.

EXCLUSIVE by Crime Correspondent Mike Woods.

Don't miss Tuesday's Express & Star for three pages of background reports.