The gang supplied heroin and cocaine across Nottinghamshire
10:10, 15 Jan 2026
Ten gang members have been jailed for their involvement in a huge drugs operation which saw cocaine and heroin devastate Nottinghamshire towns.
Between January 2023 and July 2024, the crime group transported hundreds of thousands of pounds of class A drugs up and down the county between Kirkby, Sutton and Eastwood - and even to Skegness in Lincolnshire.
Nottingham Crown Court heard the gang would store large batches of the drugs - along with weapons including knives and a crossbow with arrows - in "stash houses" in Bulwell and Bestwood.
However, the large-scale operation came to an end when the gang's leader, Andrew Fitzgerald, was caught by police and arrested while attempting to flee the county.
Fitzgerald was caught by officers driving along the A617 near Newark with his right-hand man, Sean Richardson, in July 2024.
After the pair's arrest, another member of the 15-strong group attempted to dispose of two phones used to deal drugs by dropping them into tins of paint; however, they were found by officers shortly after.
At Nottingham Crown Court on Wednesday (January 14), all members of the group were sentenced, 10 jailed and five others given suspended sentences.
The court heard that Corey Graham, Andrew Cox and Nathan Sharp controlled the cross-county operation through five mobile phones on behalf of Fitzgerald.
The scale of the gang's drug trade was revealed when officers found an estimated £125,000 of heroin, cocaine, and crack cocaine - along with more than £40,000 in cash and high-value jewellery items.
A mobile phone belonging to one of the group's suppliers was also taken by police, with officers finding voice notes proving the gang was sourcing large amounts of cocaine and heroin at "stash houses".
Police searched residential properties, and detectives took a plethora of mobile phones containing damning evidence, which helped crack the case.
Other defendants were also convicted after their fingerprints were found on evidence collected by police during the two investigations, codenamed Operation Ravenclaw and Operation Drawbridge.
In his sentencing remarks on Wednesday, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said there could be "no doubt this was a category one conspiracy" and that he was satisfied that "at least 15kg of Class A drugs, perhaps even 20kg, were trafficked by this group."
He said the gang had shown an "utter disregard to the misery and risk of life" their drug dealing has caused, adding: "It is clear that the enterprise operated daily and was busy for much of the day.
"There is evidence to suggest this was a 24-hour-a-day operation. Without a shadow of a doubt, it would have continued to run had it not been dismantled by the police."
The force's Detective Constable Steven Fenyn added: "This is a fantastic result to see this organised crime group behind bars.
"These were callous criminals who only cared about making vast amounts of money.
"They didn’t care how lethal their commodities were or the consequences for the communities and innocent people who would be irrevocably affected by this.
"They thought they were untouchable, but we were able to systematically dismantle the group and show them this wasn’t the case.
"We remain absolutely determined to crack down on criminal gangs and will continue to carry out necessary observations, action and enforcement to ensure illegal drugs are taken off our streets."
Full list of 15 gang members sentenced:
Andrew Fitzgerald, 35, of Leybourne Drive, Bestwood
Fitzgerald was head of the huge operation and is not believed to have had any involvement with dealing drugs on the street.
However, he arranged for others to control the day-to-day running of the enterprise on his behalf, the police investigation revealed.
Fitzgerald also arranged the purchase of at least 16 kilos of heroin and cocaine to be sold across the county using a dedicated handset.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and has been jailed for 12 years.
Sean Richardson, 34, of Green Lane, Clifton
Richardson was the right-hand man to Fitzgerald and was responsible for ensuring others had the drugs they needed each day before they went out to sell.
He was caught on CCTV cameras in Bulwell purchasing a Nokia mobile phone with two SIM cards, which revealed his part in the drugs operation across Kirkby and Sutton.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, and has been jailed for eight years.
Aaron Miller, 35, of Vernon Road, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Miller played a leading role by helping to buy and supply the huge amounts of drugs the group then went on to sell.
He was seen by police leaving one of the group’s stash houses, where a substantial quantity of heroin and crack cocaine was found by officers.
Miller, who has previous drug convictions, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, and has been jailed for 11 years.
Nathan Sharp, 34, formerly of Forest Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
In October 2023, police searched Sharp's on-and-off property at Forest Street, Kirkby, and found cocaine believed to be worth up to £4,800, as well as deal bags and £3,150 in cash.
Sharp then went on the run and set up another drug operation in Skegness, where he was arrested in February 2024. He was sentenced to 40 months' imprisonment for drug supply in Skegness by Lincolnshire Police.
However, Nottinghamshire Police later arrested him for further offences on August 7, 2024, in relation to the wider drugs trade.
Sharp pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, and has been jailed for eight years.
Andrew Cox, 41, of Glenside, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Cox was trusted to hold significant amounts of heroin and crack cocaine to reload street dealers for the group.
He also ran two of the group's many drug line phones in the Kirkby and Sutton areas.
After he was arrested, these mobile phones were taken by officers from his home, along with large amounts of crack cocaine and heroin that were ready to be supplied to street dealers in the area.
Cox tried to dispose of the phones by dropping them into tins of paint - but officers noticed the devices and found key evidence on them.
Weapons were found at his home, including an air pistol, knives and a cross bow with arrows. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, and he was jailed for eight years.
Corey Graham, 24, of Hillington Rise, Bestwood
After his arrest in July 2024, Graham was caught red-handed with three ounces of crack cocaine, over £1,200 in cash and one of the mobile phones used to sell drugs in his pocket.
He was also responsible for packaging heroin and crack cocaine and resupplying the group’s couriers for Kirkby, Sutton and Eastwood.
After officers searched his home, large quantities of Class A drugs believed to be worth £19,000 - and £20,000 in cash - were taken by officers.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and was also sentenced for being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs in relation to a separate case in Lincolnshire.
He has been jailed for six years.
Keenan Williams, 36, of Belconnen Road, Bestwood
Williams prepared and stored the bulk supply of class A drugs sold in the Eastwood, Sutton and Kirkby areas.
He rented a flat, which was used to prepare the drugs into wraps to then be sold, and, after his arrest, 404g of heroin and 104g of crack cocaine were seized from the loft of his property.
The drugs are believed to be worth £50,000. Williams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine) and has been jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years.
Jaime Buxton, 26, of Harcourt Street, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Buxton delivered class-A drugs to different dealers by attending stash houses, collecting cash and then driving back to reload dealers throughout the county.
Messages sent to the other gang members revealed evidence of her involvement, and she pleaded guilty partway through the trial to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine).
She has been jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, and handed a two-year community order comprising 30 rehabilitation activity days and a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.
Craig Beeson, 41, of Pear Tree Court, Nottingham
Beeson was a courier for the group and supplied drugs in Sutton. He was found inside a property on Bancroft Street, Bulwell, when officers entered and found drugs.
He was found to be in regular communication with the other members, and his fingerprints were also found on two containers holding large quantities of heroin and crack cocaine.
Texts also showed Beeson was used as an enforcer for the group to threaten others. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs (heroin and crack cocaine).
He was also sentenced for Section 20 GBH after admitting he knocked a man unconscious by punching him in November 2024. He has been jailed for eight years and nine months.
Stacey Beeson, 39, of Bancroft Street, Bulwell
The sister of fellow member Craig Beeson, Stacey let the members use her home to store large amounts of Class A drugs and was responsible for preparing the drugs before they were sold on the streets.
She admitted she allowed the group to do this for two years. In March 2024, police found 78.2g of heroin and 192g of cocaine - worth nearly £30,000 - at her home.
She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, and was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years.
Yvette Davis, 56, of Laurel Grove, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Davis acted as a courier and driver for the group between March and July 2024, moving drugs and cash from Bestwood to Kirkby, Eastwood and Sutton.
In July 2024, she was stopped during one of these journeys and was found to be in possession of over £1,500 worth of class-A drugs in her vehicle.
She was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine, following a five-week trial.
Davis has been jailed for two years, suspended for two years, and handed a two-year community order comprising 30 days of rehabilitation activities.
Claire Lidgett, 41, of Glenside, Kirkby-in-Ashfield
Whilst searching the home she shared with her partner, Andrew Cox, in July, police officers found drugs hidden inside a teddy bear.
Her fingerprint was found on a list of dealers and messages on mobile phones, which showed she was aware of the drug operation. Less than two weeks later, police attended Lidgett and Cox's address again, where more class-A drugs and weapons were found.
This is also where police found one of the two mobile phones hidden in a tin of paint. Cox pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class-A drugs, namely heroin and crack cocaine.
She was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, and handed a two-year community order comprising 30 rehabilitation requirement days.
Tyrone Shand, 38, of Linby Street, Bulwell
Shand was described in court as a "career drug trafficker" and was involved in supplying class-A drugs to another member of the group, Aaron Miller.
Texts from September 2023 revealed Miller was trying to purchase kilo amounts of cocaine and heroin from Shand, who was arrested in November that year after police saw him leaving an address in Bullwell where drugs were found.
He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely heroin and cocaine, and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs - cannabis.
Shand has been jailed for six years and nine months.
Chadwyck Walton, 31, of Merchant Street, Bulwell
During the Operation Drawbridge investigation, officers searched his home address and found 299.67g of cocaine - worth up to £28,000.
1.645kg of cannabis - worth up to £17,000 - plus further drug paraphernalia and 407g of phenacetin, a cutting agent, were also found.
Walton tried to avoid being arrested by climbing out of a rear window on the first floor, but he was caught in his garden. He pleaded guilty to permitting the use of premises for the supply of class-A and class-B drugs (heroin and cannabis).
Walton will spend four years and six months behind bars.
Temika Morris, 29, of Merchant Street, Bulwell
Morris was arrested alongside Chadwyck Walton after cocaine, cannabis, and drug paraphernalia were discovered at their home address by officers.
She pleaded guilty to permitting the use of premises for the supply of Class A and Class B drugs (heroin and cannabis), and has been handed an 18-month community order, including a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.