A COUNTY Lines gang which trafficked drugs worth almost £250,000 from Coventry onto the streets of Warwickshire towns were jailed for 45 years and four months between them at Warwick Crown Court on Friday (November 18.)
The gang operated between January 2019 and July 2020 through two Covid lockdowns and are believed to have supplied at least 2.5kg of crack cocaine and heroin into Stratford-upon-Avon and Royal Leamington Spa.
Police found hundreds of marketing messages sent from the gangs main drugs hotline to users, including ones saying “Come and get ur tackle, still in stock. Best of both” and another advertising “Active around the clock. Best in town.”
Levi Pollard-Mersom ran the line, which used the brand names Kano and CJ, and he exploited addicts to run the drugs and carry out street deals.
He also ‘cuckooed’ vulnerable people’s homes to use as supply bases.
The 29-year-old was arrested on June 19, 2020 while drug dealing from a Ford Fiesta in a car park on the outskirts of Stratford-upon-Avon, with a one-year-old child also in the car.
Police ensured the young child was safeguarded, along with a 17-year-old girl, who was also in the car with them.
Another senior member of the gang, 31-year-old Jordan Hill, managed deliveries, controlled others, carried out violent acts, and took orders on the County Line.
Pollard-Mersom’s 20-year-old brother Paul Walker initially helped deliver and store drugs for the gang.
He later took ownership of the line following Pollard-Mersom’s arrest.
Lewis Kerr, 29, acted as transport and muscle and was looking to expand the line into Rugby, while Kieron Hill, 23, Nell Desnousse, 22, Hasum Makalo, 18, Gary Brown, 19, and 36-year-old Amy Lamb all acted as drugs runners.
From left Kieron Hill, Nell Desnousse and Amy Lamb. Picture West Midlands Police. s
Pollard-Mersom, Kieron and Jordan Hill, Lamb and Desnousse all admitted conspiracy to supply crack cocaine and heroin, while Walker and Kerr were both found guilty following trial.
Pollard-Mersom got 12 years and nine months, with Judge Cook highlighting his use of violence and cuckooing of vulnerable people.
Walker got 10 years, Kieron Hill was jailed for eight years and three months, and Kerr got seven years.
Lamb, who the judge said had been actively engaging with customers during lockdown, was jailed for five years and six months, while Desnousse, described as a ‘busy foot soldier’, got 22 months.
Jordan Hill will be sentenced on December 13 while Brown and Makalo had previously been sentenced and are serving jail terms of five years eight months and six years.
The drugs network was brought down by the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) and Warwickshire Local Police teams.
Some of the drugs seized as the network was closed down. Picture by West Midlands Police. s
ROCU Det Insp Julie Woods, said: “This was a classic County Lines operation. Pollard-Mersom was in charge from a distance, making up to £1,500 per day, and controlled the others through violence, threats and reputation.
“He made most of the money but exposed himself to very little risk, while the drug runners faced the very real danger of being attacked with weapons, by rival gangs or being arrested on the street.
“During the investigation we recovered more than 1,000 wraps of heroin and crack cocaine plus nearly £10,000 in cash.
“The men in charge of this operation have shown themselves as callous individuals driven by greed and were happy to make money on others’ suffering.
“They have rightly been handed lengthy jail sentences.”
Visit https://west-midlands.police.uk/your-options/county-lines if you suspect someone is being exploited to run drugs.
