The illegal enterprise was run by Alexander McConnell, aged 59, who was helped to sell wholesale quantities of the Class A drug by accomplices Edward Shephard, aged 40, also known as Ted, and Darren Lafferty, aged 50, to customers including James Davis, aged 35, and Marcus Brown, aged 65.
An investigation into the men’s activities was run by the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU) during October and November 2020.
This showed how McConnell and his associates would store, drop and collect drugs from vehicles, including a grey Citroen van, that they left parked at various locations around Corby.
On October 8, Brown and Davis drove in convoy from their homes in Cambridgeshire to Corby, where Brown met with Lafferty before all three went to Corby Town Football Club.
There they met with Shephard, who had earlier collected drugs with McConnell, and a handover took place.
Soon after leaving, Davis was stopped by police in Cottingham and a search of his Jaguar car saw officers recover a clear bag containing a block of white powder which was later to be found to be high-purity cocaine with a street value of up to £24,900.
On October 18, McConnell visited the football club and filmed footage from its CCTV on his phone, thought to be an attempt to show that Shephard was not responsible for the police arresting Davis.
Officers continued to gather evidence on the group’s activities, before McConnell and Shephard were arrested on November 25, followed by Lafferty on December 1, and Davis and Brown on December 3.
All five went on to be charged with conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (cocaine), with McConnell also charged in relation to another conspiracy involving the supply of cocaine from Liverpool to Corby between April and December 2020.
In April 2021 McConnell was jailed for 10 years and eight months after admitting both charges.
The remaining four defendants were due to go on trial last December, only for Shephard to change his plea to guilty at the outset of proceedings, followed shortly by Lafferty and Brown.
Davis had already admitted possession of cocaine with intent to supply and prosecutors accepted this plea and allowed the conspiracy charge to lie on file.
On Monday, July 15, the four men returned to Northampton Crown Court, where Shephard, of Pascal Close, Corby, was sentenced to 32 months’ imprisonment.
Lafferty, of Snatchill Close, Corby, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
Due to previous convictions for the same offence, Davis, of High Road, Guyhirn, Wisbech, Cambs, received five years’ imprisonment for the charge of possession with intent to supply.
Brown, also of High Road, Guyhirn, Wisbech, Cambs, was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment.
An order was granted for the forfeiture of £5,058.57 cash recovered from Shepherd, as well as a deprivation order for a BMW car.
A further court hearing involving Lafferty and Brown is set to take place on November 25 under the Proceeds of Crime Act.
