Drug gang 'fed off misery in lockdowns'

Shaun Monaghan was jailed for 27 years

The boss of an armed gang which "fed off the misery" caused by illegal drugs during the first Covid-19 lockdown has been jailed for 27 years.

Shaun Monaghan, 45, headed a gang that handled hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of cocaine, heroin and amphetamines during the first coronavirus lockdown in 2020, Newcastle Crown Court heard.

The gang, who used modified vehicles to move their drugs around, "masqueraded as essential workers" in case they were stopped by police, the court heard, while members hid their guns in their families' homes.

Monaghan admitted offences including conspiracy to supply drugs was jailed alongside four of his associates.

Between 1 March and 30 June 2020, Monaghan's Tyneside-based gang distributed "wholesale quantities" of drugs including at least 50kg of cocaine, 20kg of heroin and 200kg of amphetamines, prosecutor Richard Herrman said.

They communicated using EncroChat phones, an encrypted network which they believed to be impregnable by police and on which they exchanged "candid" messages about their criminal operations, the court heard.

"The network was compromised by authorities in early 2020," Mr Herrmann said, adding the gang's faith in the security of the platform has been "ultimately misplaced".

The gang amassed an arsenal of weapons

Due to the amount of information and data that needed investigating, it took three and a half years before prosecutors were able to bring the matter to court.

Two of Monaghan's trusted associates had already been arrested, with police finding guns they had stashed in relatives' houses, the court heard.

One of the men, who was subsequently jailed in 2021 for 11 years, had hidden a bag containing a machine gun, three pistols and a homemade hand grenade in his grandmother's loft.

The other "right hand man", who was jailed for 15 years, collected money from the dealers including £100,000 in just one day.

The gang distributed cocaine, heroin and amphetamines

Judge Julie Clemitson said while most people in the UK were grappling with the fear and loneliness of the pandemic and mourning the loss of loved ones, Monaghan's gang were seeking to make money.

She said they used vehicles with hidden compartments to move drugs and "masqueraded as essential workers" to avoid being stopped by police for breaching lockdown rules.

Monaghan, who had previously been jailed for supplying cocaine, offered one of his associates, Simon Lancaster, a "nice apartment and big wages" to set up a branch in London, the court heard.

Judge Clemitson said the gang had an "arsenal" of firearms which they were willing to use to protect their business or supply to other organised crime groups.

'Wretched souls'

The court heard Monaghan and Lancaster both fled the country when they got a notification from EncroChat informing them the network had been busted.

Monaghan ended up being jailed in Dubai, after which he was arrested in Turkey over his North East operation.

Lancaster was also jailed in Dubai and ended up in Oman, from where he was deported back to the UK.

Judge Clemtison told the gang their illegal trade had caused pain and destruction to many people, both "wretched souls" caught in addiction and the victims of the crimes committed to fund drug habits.

She said the drug dealers were "feeding off the misery" they caused and the message had to be sent out that the "potential rewards" were "just not worth the risk".

The defendants and their sentences were:

• Shaun Monaghan, address unknown, jailed for 27 years

• James Ramshaw, 41, of Hambleton Court in Ashington, jailed for nine years four months

• Bryn Bowden, 28, of West Farm Avenue in Longbenton, jailed for seven years

• Steven Graham, 45, of Alston Gardens in Throckley, jailed for eight years

• James White, 45, of Orchard Drive in Whorlton Grange, jailed for six years

The court heard Ramshaw had already been recalled to prison after being given a life sentence for murder, so would not now be released until deemed eligible by the parole board.

Simon Lancaster, of no fixed abode, will be sentenced at future date due to confusion about whether time he spent in prison in Oman should count as time served.