IN THE NEWS PLYMOUTH DRUG GANG JAILED FOR MORE THAN 40 YEARS


A drug gang which smuggled consign- ments of heroin into Plymouth from Man- chester has been jailed for a total of more than 40 years. According to This is Plymouth, a huge police operation tar- geted the gang, nine of whose members were last month sen- tenced to jail terms of up to eight years each. A tenth man, Anthony Connolly, who was visited by the gang, was also jailed for possessing heroin with intent to supply. Passing sentence at Plymouth Crown Court, Judge Francis


Gilbert QC said: “All except Connolly took part in an organised and structured oper- ation to bring heroin on a wholesale scale from Manchester to Plymouth for distri- bution in this city, and then sending cash back for the purchase of more heroin.” As previously report- ed in PHTM,


the


drugs were driven down from Man- chester by couriers, with cash travelling back by the same means. Prosecutor Simon Laws told the Crown Court that the plot unravelled in September


2009


when Plymouth man Jonathan Palmer was driving to deliv- er £20,000 cash to Dean Martin for onward transmis- sion. He was stopped by police, claiming the cash belonged to his father, former taxi boss Leslie Palmer, who


eventually


reclaimed the cash. However, Mr Palmer did not know that police had secretly recorded the serial numbers of all the banknotes. The Court heard again the back- ground to the drug and money courier operation, including


the trace of further banknotes and the passing of drug money to drugs “area manager” Blake Don- nellan, who was already serving a 15- year sentence for conspiracy to supply cocaine. Jonathan


Palmer


admitted three sepa- rate offences: as well as conspiring to transfer


criminal


property, he pleaded guilty


to being


involved in a can- nabis farm which would have produced an estimated yield with a street value of £18,000. He also admitted grievous bodily harm against a


man in Saltash. Former


taxi boss


Leslie Palmer denied money-laundering but was convicted at trial at Plymouth Crown Court. All the defendants except Leslie Palmer plead- ed guilty to all counts; they were charged with con- spiracy to transfer criminal property, and Leslie Palmer was sentenced to three years for his participation in the operation. His son Jonathan was sen- tenced to eight years. Judge Gilbert con- gratulated the police officers involved and


said the scale of the operation could be judged from some of the key numbers in the case, including the thousands of pounds seized and the heroin taken out of the drug chain. Outside the court, police


spokes-


man Det Con Neil Albrechtsen said: “The judge has recognised


that


while these offences relate mostly to money, they can’t be separated from the reality that it comes from drug sales. People have to accept the responsi- bility for the damage caused by drugs.”


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PHTM FEBRUARY 2012


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