Two Drug Dealers Jailed for 14 Years in Crackdown on South West Cocaine Gang
Stephen Wills and Leum Barrett were found guilty of conspiring to supply cocaine and possession with intent to supply after a trial that ended on Friday 6 December. John Brewster, 35, of Dixon Way, Calne, was acquitted of conspiracy charges in the same case.
Big Cocaine Operation Busted in Exeter
Wills and Barrett were sentenced to a combined 14 years in prison by His Honour Judge Stephen Climie at Exeter Crown Court on Thursday 13 March.
Between July and November 2019, they worked as part of an organised crime gang delivering high-purity cocaine from London to dealers in Exeter and the wider South West.
Safe House Sting Helps Police Nab Gang
The gang used a property in Chagford as a “safe house,” unaware it was under surveillance by Devon & Cornwall Police.
During one operation, gang member Adi Lleshi delivered cocaine to the property while Barrett waited outside. Wills contacted Barrett and Richard Armitage, who collected the drugs after payment.
All left together, but police had already gathered enough evidence with extensive phone records showing heavy contact between Barrett and Wills.
Massive Drug Bust Uncovers £40,000 Worth of Cocaine
Police searches at the suspects’ homes recovered over a quarter of a kilogram of cocaine valued at £40,000. Officers also seized encrypted mobile phones linked to the operation.
Wills, 36, from Bridford, Exeter, got nine years for conspiracy to supply cocaine plus four years for possession with intent to supply. Additional concurrent sentences include six years for conspiring to supply Class A drugs, three years for Class B supply conspiracy, and five years for possession of a prohibited firearm.
Barrett, 35, of Newton Poppleford, was jailed for five years for conspiracy and three-and-a-half years for possession with intent to supply, served concurrently.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Ben Davies said: “This was a substantial and complex investigation in which large quantities of Class-A drugs destined for the streets of Plymouth, Bristol, Torquay and Penzance were seized.
“The large quantities of criminal money recovered also demonstrated the extent of the drugs empire and its foothold in the South West of England.”
The convictions follow a major probe by Devon and Cornwall Police’s Serious and Organised Crime Branch and the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit, cracking down on the cocaine supply chain across the region.
