South West drugs gang jailed for supplying £1m worth of cocaine

Mark Vasija (L), pictured with fellow gang member and brother-in-law Adi Lleshi, was the ringleader

A gang that brought at least 15kg of cocaine into the south-west of England has been jailed.

About £1m worth of high-purity drugs were sold through four local dealers, Exeter Crown Court heard.

Ringleader Mark Vasija, who recruited wholesalers in Brixham, Newlyn, Plymouth and Bristol, was jailed for 11 years and two months.

The Albanian national used a car-wash business as cover for sending cocaine to Devon and Cornwall, the jury heard.

Tyler Harrison (L), Steven Evans and (M) John Minchinton were also jailed

Vasija's co-conspirators were Adi Lleshi, who was jailed for 10 years and six months; John Minchinton, jailed for nine years and four months; Tyler Harrison for four years and four months; and Steven Evans for five years and seven months.

A sixth gang member, Michael Williams, will be sentenced at a later date.

All either admitted, or were convicted of, conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.

The men were caught when police mounted a surveillance operation in 2019. Officers witnessed heavy packages being handed over to dealers and cash taken back in exchange.

The court heard how most of the shipments were carried by Vasija's brother-in-law, Lleshi.

Almost half of the 35 trips were made to Minchinton in Brixham, while other deliveries were made to Harrison in Plymouth, Evans in Penzance and Williams in Bristol.

Minchinton was caught by police trying to dispose of the cocaine in his possession

Prosecutors said Minchinton was caught trying to flush 1kg of cocaine down the toilet when his home was raided.

Jurors were told how a further 3kg were seized from Lleshi's car as he pulled up at Williams's home, and that he had £160,000 in cash.

The operation ran between July and November of 2019.

Sentencing the men, Judge Timothy Rose said: "The motivation amounted to one thing alone: money.

"Your greed is at the root of all the offending in this case.

"The scale of the activity was substantial and amounted to more than £1m."

Cash was seized by police who foiled the gang

• Adi Lleshi, 25, of London; John Minchinton, 42, formerly of Kings Drive, Brixham, but now of no fixed address; and Michael Williams, 59, of Padstow Road, Knowle, Bristol, all denied conspiracy to supply cocaine but were convicted by a jury

• Minchinton was also convicted of obstructing the police, for flushing cocaine down his toilet

• Vasija, 40, from Ilford; Tyler Harrison, 27, of Torridge Way, Efford, Plymouth; and Steven Evans, 43, of Park Road in Newlyn all admitted conspiracy to supply Class A drugs