Preston Crown Court Sentencing Results

Eli Young assisted Steven Lee in carrying out three fraudulent roofing jobs, targeting vulnerable individuals and deceiving them into paying for unnecessary work.

Steven Lee conned vulnerable pensioners out of thousands of pounds by performing shoddy and unnecessary roofing work, leading some victims to lose their life savings and incur further costs for repairs. He has a history of fraud and used aliases to avoid detection.

Kevin Gaskell, 43, of Castlehey, Skelmersdale, was involved in purchasing and distributing significant quantities of cocaine as part of the Lancashire gang's £26m drug network operating across the north west of England and beyond.

Keith Rowlands, 58, of Maes, Gwynedd, Caernarfon, was involved in purchasing and distributing significant quantities of cocaine as part of the organised crime group's operations supplying drugs nationwide.

Jack Donegan, 29, of Warrington, directed the distribution of cocaine and ketamine through a network of couriers and associates, supplying hundreds of kilograms of Class A drugs across the UK, generating over £26 million in profits. A drug ledger from his phone revealed the scale of the operation. He boasted to his partner about monthly profits of £15k.

Philip Moores, 56, of Fawcett, Skelmersdale, stored and distributed drugs on instructions from Jack Donegan as part of the organised crime group flooding the UK with £26m worth of cocaine and ketamine.

Daniel Stawarcyzk, 36, from Freshpool Way, Manchester, was involved in purchasing and distributing significant quantities of cocaine within the Lancashire gang's extensive drug distribution network.

Robert Howarth, 45, of Haydock, was involved in purchasing and distributing significant quantities of cocaine as part of the £26m drug conspiracy operating from Lancashire to various parts of the UK.

Sam Brooks was stopped at Blackpool North station on 22 April 2022 after officers noticed a strong scent of cannabis. He was found with two bags of cannabis and around £13,000 in cash. A search of his address found further cash, cannabis, drug paraphernalia, burner phones and SIM cards. He was operating a postal cannabis supply enterprise using Instagram, Telegram, cryptocurrency and bank transfers. A further warrant on 11 October 2022 caught him attempting to dispose of cannabis, cannabis resin and THC canisters. In total almost £19,000 in cash was seized, with the cannabis estimated to be worth between £72,235 and £141,835.

In April 2024, officers investigating drug dealing in Blackpool spotted a group of suspected drug users loitering on a street corner. A car driven by Jonathan Nash pulled up with Jamie Dickson, 36, in the passenger seat, and a woman leaned into the window for a suspected drug deal. Officers stopped the vehicle and, while processing Dickson at the station, recovered seven wraps of heroin and 18 wraps of cocaine from him. Phone messages indicated Dickson worked as a street dealer for a drugs supply group. Additionally, he committed two counts of common assault on his partner during the investigation period.

In April 2024, officers investigating drug dealing in Blackpool spotted a group of suspected drug users loitering on a street corner. A car driven by Jonathan Nash, 37, with Jamie Dickson in the passenger seat, pulled up, and a woman leaned into the window for a suspected drug deal. Officers stopped the car, which had been recently leased, and found the woman with two wraps of crack and heroin. Nash tested positive for cocaine and cannabis. Phone messages indicated Nash worked as a driver for a drugs supply group.

Jordan Riddick, 27, of Longway, Barrow-in-Furness, was a customer in Hafiz Razaq's cannabis distribution network. On January 9, 2024, 8kg of cannabis was seized from a vehicle following an exchange involving Razaq and Deepak Singh in Preston, with the drugs intended for Riddick in Barrow. The cannabis was sourced from associates in the Bolton area and supplied across the north west, part of a larger operation investigated by Lancashire Police from May 2023 to July 2024, resulting in 30kg seized overall.

Deepak Singh, 40, of Fulwood, Preston, was involved in the cannabis trafficking network. On January 9, 2024, he met Hafiz Razaq in Preston and participated in an exchange, after which he and another man were followed towards Cumbria, where 8kg of cannabis was found in their vehicle boot, intended for Jordan Riddick. A search of Singh's home recovered three handguns and 14 compatible rounds of ammunition from a rucksack in his bedroom. The operation involved cannabis sourced from Bolton and supplied across the region, with 30kg seized overall during the May 2023 to July 2024 investigation.

Hafiz Razaq, 40, orchestrated the distribution of cannabis sourced from associates in the Bolton area, maintaining a network of clients across the north west. On December 1, 2023, he was seen loading heavily-laden bin bags into his vehicle outside his home near Preston before meeting a courier near Preston, whose vehicle was intercepted on the M6 near Lancaster, yielding 8.5kg of cannabis skunk. On January 9, 2024, he travelled to Bolton, loaded bags, and later met Deepak Singh and another man in Preston for an exchange, with 8kg of cannabis found in the followed vehicle intended for customer Jordan Riddick in Barrow. The investigation by Lancashire Police's Serious and Organised Crime Unit spanned May 2023 to July 2024, resulting in the seizure of 30kg of cannabis overall.

On June 22, 2024, Laurence McGuigan of Hoghton, took nearly twice the legal limit of Diazepam (1024 micrograms per litre of blood, exceeding the 550 micrograms limit) before driving his red Vauxhall Corsa along Higher Walton Road. He closed his eyes while driving, crossed into the opposite lane, and collided head-on with a white Audi driven by a woman in her 80s, causing serious and lasting injuries to both. The crash robbed the victim of her independence; she now fears going out alone, has reduced social interactions, and has not seen her granddaughter in a while, feeling frustrated and more forgetful.

Leighton Dixon participated in the organised crime groups' efforts to flood Preston with crack cocaine and heroin, using a system of phone lines for advertising and delivery.

Kenzi Tunstall acted as a dealer or runner for the organised crime groups in Preston, contributing to the supply of crack cocaine and heroin via advertised drug lines in the Broadgate and Avenham areas.

Kian Lowe was a member of the drug supply network in Preston, involved in the distribution activities of the Broadgate or Avenham groups.

Luis Kelly was involved in the dealer and runner network for the Preston drug lines, promoting and distributing crack cocaine and heroin.

Joshua Elder led the Avenham organised crime group, coordinating the supply of crack cocaine and heroin through phone lines in Preston's Avenham area. The group co-existed with the Broadgate group and had close alliances. Police seized drugs and cash in February 2024.

Jessica Hindle was involved in the Preston drug supply operations, part of the network that used phone lines to advertise and deliver heroin and crack cocaine in the Broadgate and Avenham areas.

Jamie Knowles was part of the family-controlled Broadgate organised crime group, managing dealers and runners to supply crack cocaine and heroin in Preston's Broadgate area using branded drug lines like 'AK'. Operations continued despite leaders being in prison.

Jack Tunstall was involved in the drug supply operations of the Broadgate or Avenham organised crime groups in Preston, distributing crack cocaine and heroin through advertised phone lines. Part of a network uncovered in a major police investigation with warrants in February 2024.

Brandon Wright was part of the network supplying Class A drugs in Preston, involved in the operations of the groups using bulk texts and branded lines to distribute crack cocaine and heroin.

Cameron Farley participated in the organised crime groups supplying crack cocaine and heroin in Preston, using phone lines branded with names like 'Bill and Ben' and 'Frank' to promote and distribute drugs across the city.

Connor Campbell was involved as a dealer or runner in the Preston drug supply networks operated by the Broadgate and Avenham groups, flooding the area with Class A drugs through coordinated phone lines.

Daniel Wright was involved in the Preston drug gangs, assisting in the supply of Class A drugs through the coordinated operations uncovered by Lancashire Police in their investigation.

Daanyall Hussain contributed to the supply of Class A drugs in Preston as part of the organised crime groups investigated by Lancashire Police.