Gang members who 'flooded' town with drugs jailed

(L-R) Christina Xiourroupas, Javough Ennis, and Neil Gordon were sentenced on Tuesday

Members of a county lines gang who "flooded" a North Yorkshire coastal town with illegal drugs have been jailed.

Birmingham-based dealers, who operated under the name "Ghost", organised bringing heroin and crack cocaine to Scarborough between August 2017 and January 2018, North Yorkshire Police said.

At York Crown Court on Tuesday, Christina Xiourroupas, 35, Javough Ennis, 27, and Neil Gordon, 22, were all given jail sentences.

Det Con Darrel Temple, from the force, said it had taken approaching “six years to secure justice against the offenders”.

A vehicle containing members of the gang was stopped by police during the early hours of 16 January 2018 in Scarborough, with traces of heroin and crack cocaine found by officers.

Police discovered Scarborough-based Gordon was working with the others to deliver drugs to users in the coastal town.

Mobile phone analysis and other evidence showed the group were using several deal lines to sell drugs in North Yorkshire, with all members charged with drug offences in January 2023.

Det Con Temple said: “The group thought they could operate with impunity between the West Midlands and Scarborough.

“This effort shows our determination to rid our community of the harms caused by drug-related crime.”

Xiourroupas, of Old Grange Road, Birmingham, was jailed for three and a half years for her role.

Ennis, of HMP Leicester, was given a two-year sentence for his involvement in the scheme, with Gordon, of Eastfield, jailed for two and a half years.

A further three members of the gang were sentenced at the same court on 17 October.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.