County Lines Drug Gangs Busted: 9 Sentenced for Peddling Class A in City Centre Blitz
The Jimmy and Django Lines: Drugs, Guns & Designer Lifestyles
Eight men and one woman, members of ruthless organised crime groups (OCGs), have been jailed for running County Lines drug operations in the city centre during 2020-2021. These gangs used ‘drugs phone lines’ to take orders and arrange deliveries, while spreading addictive Class A substances across multiple counties.
One gang, dubbed the Jimmy Line, moved hundreds of thousands of pounds of drugs between September 2020 and June 2021. Ryan Williams, 33, from Skelmersdale, ran supply from his luxury seven-bedroom mansion. His cohorts, including Roberts Sokolovs, 22, nicknamed the “Latvian Pablo Escobar”, flaunted their criminal exploits.
Police seized over £27,000 in cash (some stuffed in rucksacks), weapons, designer clothes, jewellery, and gadgets from the Jimmy Line’s properties. The gang raked in an estimated £104,220 from Lincoln drug deals alone between September 2020 and May 2021.
Django Line’s Deadly Deals and Firearms Cache
The Django Line transported drugs from Nottingham stash houses into Lincoln’s High Street. They used coded mass texts to lure addicts and customers. A shotgun was found at a flat rented by member Kelvin Tutani, 27, and handguns along with deadly knives were uncovered at stash sites.
Within just 59 days, Django Line drug deals earned them nearly £20,000. Offenders faced conspiracy charges for supplying Class A drugs, plus possession of weapons and criminal property.
Massive Multi-Force Operation Brings Down City Dealer Empire
Operation Stabilise was launched by Lincolnshire Police following reports of booming daytime drug deals and violent turf wars in the city centre. Superintendent Phil Baker slammed the gangs’ “selfishness” that ruins lives, including coercing vulnerable victims and children into trafficking.
“Lincolnshire is not a soft touch for drug gangs – we have shown we will act with resounding force to protect our communities,” said Supt Baker.
The 10-month crackdown involved Lincolnshire Police working with the East Midlands Special Operations Unit and forces from Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire, Lancashire, West Midlands and British Transport Police.
Seizures, Sentences, and Shattered Networks
- £55,000+ cash, designer clothes, four luxury cars, and electrical goods seized (to be clawed back under Proceeds of Crime legislation)
- Several firearms and bladed weapons confiscated
- Half a kilo of crack cocaine and hundreds of heroin wraps recovered
- Four major gangs moved at least two kilos of Class A drugs worth £218,000 during the conspiracy
After 47 warrants last June, 46 people were charged with involvement in these conspiracies. So far, the gangs have received a combined 121 years and 5 months in prison. Several received suspended sentences or community orders, but major players face heavy jail terms.
Notorious Sentences: Key Gang Members Locked Up
- Ryan Williams (Jimmy Line) – 7 years 6 months
- Roberts Sokolovs (Jimmy Line) – 6 years 2 months
- Keegan Mealor (Jimmy Line) – 6 years 11 months
- Noman Hassan (Django Line) – 4 years 4 months for drug supply and firearm possession
- Babatunde Omotade (Django Line) – 5 years 1 month for supply and altered firearm possession
- Amber Keeley (Django Line) – 3 years 2 months for conspiracy
- Jonathan Hewitt, a lone dealer, also got 2 years 8 months for Class A supply
Final sentences will continue into January, as police remain vigilant against the scourge of drug trafficking in the region.
