Underworld Kingpin Busted: The Fall of Kurt Bradshaw’s Drug Empire
The OCG’s reign came crashing down on May 1, 2020. Officers spotted ringleader Kurt Bradshaw acting suspiciously in his Volkswagen Scirocco. What followed was a police swoop that would unravel a massive drugs operation.
Major Drug Haul and Shocking Home Raid
Inside Bradshaw’s car, cops found bags of cannabis and an iPhone. A raid on his Thornton-Cleveleys home revealed co-conspirators Jack Pope, Craig Hollis, and Kynan Dawes. Upstairs, officers uncovered tubs packed with cannabis and another white iPhone.
Hollis, claiming to be Bradshaw’s brother, denied ownership of the stash, blaming his sibling instead. Meanwhile, Bradshaw’s bedroom held an eye-watering £25,000 worth of cannabis, scales, snap bags, and dealer tick lists.
All four men were arrested but initially released under investigation as police dug deeper.
Encrypted Phones and International Crackdown Expose Full Scale of Crime
Further probes showed fingerprints on drugs packaging, leading to re-arrests in November 2020. Police seized more cannabis, luxury watches, mobiles, and incriminating paperwork.
Bradshaw’s encrypted phone revealed chats between him, his fiancee Tina Sullivan (coded as ‘The Queen’), and other key players. He also used Encrochat, a secure messaging service taken down by global police agencies, to handle OCG finances.
Nicole Watson, sister of gang member Lee Watson, ran drug rotas, managed cash denominations, and set up a fake company “Rainbow Care Ltd” to bypass COVID-19 restrictions. Other gang members handled money counting, drug running, and packaging.
Justice Served: Harsh Sentences for The Criminal Gang
Eleven co-conspirators have been convicted and locked up for their roles:
- 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.
Laura Riding, charged with assisting cocaine supply, pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing in January 2024.
Police praise the takedown as a major blow to organised crime in the region. The gang’s sophisticated network relied on encrypted tech and a fake business front — but it wasn’t enough to stay hidden from the long arm of the law.
