Man jailed for running drug line from prison

Nathan Henshall ran his operation from HMP Oakwood

A man from Stoke-on-Trent has been jailed for more than seven years, for directing couriers to supply drugs across the UK while he was in prison.

Nathan Henshall, 32, pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply cocaine, and was sentenced to seven years and four months.

His "runner" and co-accused, Steven Howells, 39, was given a nine-month sentence, suspended for 18 months. He pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cannabis and acquiring, using or possessing criminal property.

Staffordshire police said Henshall had access to a mobile phone in prison, and used it to "control" Howells.

"Christmas presents" found in Howells' possession were actually bags of cannabis

Howells was stopped by officers in November 2020 as he travelled northbound on the M6 in Staffordshire, having made a return trip to Dorset.

They then discovered two bags of cannabis wrapped in festive paper, worth between £8,000 and £10,000. A third package, also wrapped, contained about £65,000 in cash.

The phone Henshall used to direct and advise Howells from HMP Oakwood, Staffordshire, was subsequently discovered in December 2020.

The pair were sentenced at Stafford Crown Court on 2 May.

"Henshall and Howells were intent on profiting from their criminality, flooding communities with drugs and carrying out big deals across the country as part of an organised crime network," said Det Con Rochelle Till, from the Regional Organised Crime Unit.

"We’re working hard each and every day to tackle these groups proactively, protect those who are being exploited by them and to gather intelligence to bring a stop to major criminal networks across the Midlands," she added.