Gang Boss Caught: The Fall of the OCG Begins
The beginning of the end for the organised crime group (OCG) came crashing down on May 1, 2020. Officers spotted kingpin Kurt Bradshaw acting suspiciously in his Volkswagen Scirocco. A vehicle search uncovered bin liners stuffed with cannabis and an iPhone linked to the operation.
Raids Uncover Massive Drug Haul and Evidence
A subsequent search of Bradshaw’s home in Thornton-Cleveleys found co-defendants Jack Pope, Craig Hollis, and Kynan Dawes present. Pope admitted living in an upstairs bedroom, where officers found tubs of cannabis and a white iPhone. Hollis claimed to be Bradshaw’s brother but denied ownership of cash, cannabis, phones, and drug paraphernalia discovered in the flat, blaming Bradshaw instead.
Behind a locked door, officers found nearly £25,000 worth of cannabis, scales, snap bags, and dealer tick lists. All four were arrested and released under investigation while probes revealed their fingerprints on drug packages.
More Arrests and Encrypted Chats Expose Full Scale
Bradshaw and Hollis were re-arrested in November 2020 alongside fresh seizures: cannabis, watches, phones, and paperwork. Jessica O’Brien was arrested at her Blackpool home with cocaine, scales, and another white iPhone. Pope and partner Laura Riding were caught at their Lytham St Annes address, where police found cocaine hidden inside a Nike shoe box, scales, a knife, two iPhones, and an iPad.
Police cracked open Bradshaw’s encrypted phones, revealing coded drug-dealing messages between him and his runners – including his fiancée Tina Sullivan, nicknamed ‘The Queen’, plus associates Lee Watson, Dianne Banks, and Neil Facer. Bradshaw’s use of EncroChat, the now-infamous encrypted messaging service busted by law enforcement, exposed the OCG’s financial dealings and drug rotas run by Nicole Watson.
Inside the Drug Empire: The Network Unraveled
- Kynan Dawes (aka Kilo Delta, Superman) bought and collected drugs, linked by phone records.
- Jack Pope counted stacks of cash – over £80,000 in two months – and ran a drug hub at home.
- Tina Sullivan moved large sums, once transporting £110,000 between Lancashire and Wolverhampton.
- Dianne Banks grew cannabis, collected cash, and handled dealer wages.
- Neil Facer worked as a runner, famously dealing with paperwork errors in fake company “Rainbow Care Ltd.”
- Jessica O’Brien packed drugs for distribution.
- Lee Watson operated the OCG’s drug phone.
- Craig Hollis and Laura Riding were also implicated via messages on their phones.
Riding, 28, pleaded guilty to helping prepare cocaine and awaits sentencing in January 2024.
Justice Served: Jail Terms for the OCG Crew
Eleven others were convicted and sentenced earlier this year. Notable jail terms include:
- Kurt Bradshaw, 30, Thornton-Cleveleys – 12 years 9 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
- Nicole Watson, 32, Blackpool – 9 years 9 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Lee Watson, 32, Blackpool – 8 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Kynan Dawes, 31, Blackpool – 7 years 9 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
- Jack Pope, 29, Lytham St Annes – 7 years 1 month for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
- Neil Facer, 54, Blackpool – 7 years 1 month for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Dianne Banks, 42, Blackpool – 6 years 9 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine and cannabis.
- Robert Jones, 36, Blackpool – 5 years 3 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Tina Sullivan, 29, Blackpool – 4 years 6 months for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Jessica O’Brien, 28, Blackpool – 4 years for conspiracy to supply cocaine.
- Craig Hollis, 21, Thornton-Cleveleys – community order for conspiracy to supply cannabis.
The crackdown on this ruthless drug gang sends a clear message: crime doesn’t pay.
