Smethwick man jailed as drugs network that hid cocaine and heroin in frozen chicken is dismantled

A drugs network that hid cocaine, heroin and ketamine inside frozen chicken has been dismantled, with a man from Smethwick among those jailed. The gang made hundreds of trips around the country moving drugs that police say could have had a street value as high as £147 million, Birmingham Live reports, citing Nottinghamshire Police.

Four more members of the group were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Thursday, following the jailing of its leader earlier this year.

Caught when a van broke down

The operation was led by Samuel Newton, 41, a former British Army bomb disposal soldier from Mansfield, who used the proceeds to buy a Porsche Panamera, a bus, a motorbike, a boat and three vans, police said.

He was arrested in December 2021 when his Ford Transit van broke down on the M62, and Merseyside Police officers found 8kg of cocaine and 5kg of ketamine inside. A search of his home in Mansfield then found 38kg of heroin in his garage. The drugs seized had an estimated street value of up to £4.76 million.

Investigators found that the group had made 369 trips across the UK that pointed to drug and cash runs, moving an estimated 1,472kg of drugs. Text messages suggested Newton often took delivery of the drugs, which arrived hidden in frozen chicken, and sometimes disposed of the meat.

Newton admitted conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs and conspiracy to possess criminal property, and was jailed for 14 years in March.

Four more sentenced

On Thursday, four others were sentenced:

• Amiel King, 30, an Army veteran and student from Smethwick, who admitted conspiracy to supply diamorphine, cocaine and ketamine, was jailed for five years and one month;
• George Marshman, 33, from Clifton, who admitted the same charges, was jailed for five years and 11 months;
• Gavin Holbrook, 57, from Mansfield Woodhouse, who admitted conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs, was jailed for five years;
• Abi Holbrook, 32, Newton's partner, from Sutton-in-Ashfield, who admitted conspiracy to transfer criminal property, received a sentence of two and a half years, suspended for three years.

"A treasure trove of damning evidence"

Detective Inspector Ian Smith, of Nottinghamshire Police's serious and organised crime unit, said: "In this case, we unearthed a treasure trove of damning evidence that has ultimately led to the collapse of a wide criminal network."

"Criminals like Newton bring misery to some of the most vulnerable people in our communities in order to line their own pockets."

Forces working together

The case shows how drugs networks cross county lines, and how forces work together to bring them down: a routine roadside stop by Merseyside officers led to an investigation by Nottinghamshire Police that reached as far as Smethwick.

Anyone with information about drug dealing in their area can contact Birmingham police on 101, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.