12 men from Birmingham, Cannock and Liverpool sentenced for nationwide multi-million pound drugs operation

The group were running drugs from cannabis factories in Birmingham and Merseyside in Liverpool down to Torquay.

The operations were headed up by Jamie Hadley of Kingstanding Road in Birmingham. The 32-year-old was found to be the ringleader with overall control.

Police were first alerted to suspicious activity in September 2021 when a Birmingham taxi driver drove to Torquay to collect a package from two men, and another man drove from Birmingham to deliver a package to the same location the next day.

Investigations later revealed that the first package was cash and the second was a large quantity of cannabis.

Police then tracked a car travelling from Birmingham to a huge cannabis factory in Liverpool in October 2021.

They stopped a car coming back to Birmingham from Liverpool the next day and found 12kg of cannabis in the back with a street value of £117,000. The driver was arrested.

Two days later another car was stung on the M6 with the two occupants making off on foot.

One was arrested following a foot chase and the other walked several miles before being tracked to a local pizza shop and detained. A kilogram of cocaine was found in a sleeping bag in the car with a street value of £100k.

A few days later, West Midlands Police officers issued a warrant at a vacant three storey commercial property in Bradford Street, Digbeth where they discovered another cannabis factory containing 3112 plants worth up to £1.3m. Three men were arrested trying to run out the back of the property.

At a derelict factory nearby at the junction of Birchall Street and Cheapside another 2678 plants were found.

Days later a Ford travelling from Kingstanding onto the M6 north was involved in a police chase with traffic officers.

The vehicle made off at over 110mph before attempting to leave the motorway and colliding with a traffic light. Both occupants fled, but were caught and arrested. The vehicle was found to contain 42kg of cannabis.

The defendants have been sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court between September 10 and 12.

Ringleader Jamie Hadley pleaded guilty to 3 counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis, production of cannabis and possession of criminal property (£15,000 cash) at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to a total of 11 years and 9 months imprisonment.

Christopher Madden, aged 30 of Waterlily Close, Cannock, who was second in command to Hadley, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to produce cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus a rehabilitation order and unpaid work requirement.

Toi Banh, aged 37 of Masshouse Plaza, Birmingham was the money laundering organiser for Hadley, and pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply cannabis and transferring criminal property (monies) at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to eight years and two months imprisonment.

Collum Keyes, aged 37 of Knightwick Crescent, Birmingham acted as cannabis courier, and was found guilty of conspiracy to produce cannabis following a trial earlier this year. He was locked up for five years.

Lee Bailey, aged 51 of Meadway, Birmingham, acted as cannabis courier and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to 20 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus a mental health treatment order and an unpaid work requirement.

Joshua Turner, aged 30 of Hurlingham Road, Birmingham, courier between Birmingham and Torquay, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to a 12 month community order, with a rehabilitation order and unpaid work requirement.

Rizwan Khan, aged 43 of Watney Grove, Birmingham, courier between Birmingham and Torquay, pleaded guilty to transferring criminal property (monies) at an earlier hearing and will be sentenced on 24th September 2024.

Daniel Beattie, aged 24 of Morcroft Road, Liverpool, acted as cocaine courier and was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine following a trial earlier this year. He was sentenced to four years.

Patrik Quarless, aged 24 of Graburn Road, Formby, also a cocaine courier. Quarless pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cocaine at an earlier hearing and was sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison.

Toung Phan, aged 29 of no fixed address acted as cannabis courier and was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cannabis following trial. He was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment and forfeiture of £820.

Joshua Fullerton, aged 28 of Lincombe Drive, Torquay, who was the organiser and controller of class B drugs and money laundering criminality in the Torquay area, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing and was found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine following a trial earlier this year. He was sentenced to a total of seven years and seven months imprisonment.

Dean Isaac, aged 35 of Lymington Road, Torquay, a cannabis distributor, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to three years and nine months imprisonment.

Craig Bentick, aged 26 of Fonthill Road, Kirkdale, Liverpool, a cannabis distributor in Torquay pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis at an earlier hearing. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, plus a rehabilitation order and unpaid work requirement.

Detective Constable Sam Blackburn, from West Midlands Police, said: “The scale of this enterprise had the potential to net the group millions of pounds, but in collaboration with our counterparts at South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, we tracked their movements to identify those involved and put them before the courts.

“Drugs and the associated criminality ruins lives, and we are determined to bring offenders to justice.”