Gang jailed for couriering cocaine into Lincolnshire

Clockwise from top left: Martin Murphy, Daniel Beeken, Paul Wilkinson, Timothy Fisher, Luke Culpin, Darren Palmer, Neil Dodd, Scott Hurford and Heidi Murphy

Members of a gang responsible for bringing cocaine with a street value of more than £1m into Lincolnshire have been jailed.

The Class A drugs was couriered into the county from Sheffield and Essex, Lincoln Crown Court heard.

It was then sold on the streets of Boston, Spalding and Skegness.

Some was of such high purity that it was thought to have come "straight off the boat" from South America, the court was told.

John Hallissey, prosecuting, said between January 2017 and June 2018 cocaine was brought in from Sheffield on at least 17 occasions.

A kilo of the drug, with a street value of about £50,000, was believed to have been delivered on each journey.

Smaller amounts were supplied from Essex.

"Martin Murphy and Daniel Beeken were very much the heads of the operation," Mr Hallissey said.

The court heard police had intercepted deliveries on three occasions but the operation managed to continue before finally being shut down in the summer of 2018.

Passing sentence, Judge John Pini QC, said: "This was a wholesale business which was professionally run for very significant profits.

"The evidence showed that Beeken and Murphy often worked in tandem. Both were strictly hands-on. They were described in evidence as joined at the hip.

"The two men had others working for them collecting money and bringing in the drugs, and below them was a network of street dealers," he added.

The defendants and sentences:

• Martin Murphy, 51, of Windsor Bank, Boston, admitted two charges of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 18 years, eight months

• Daniel Beeken, 41, of Campains Lane, Deeping St Nicholas, admitted two charges of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 16 years, six months

• Paul Wilkinson, 42, of Hudson Way, Skegness, was convicted of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 14 years, four months

• Timothy Fisher, 34, of Cygnet Court, Spalding, was convicted of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 14 years

• Luke Culpin, 32, of Snowdrop Place, Spalding, was convicted of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 14 years

• Darren Palmer, 48, of Windsor Bank, Boston, admitted illegal possession of a mobile phone in prison but was convicted of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 14 years

• Neil Dodd, 56, of Spalding Common, Spalding, admitted two charges of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 13 years

• Scott Hurford, 44, of Park Road, Spalding, admitted two charges of conspiracy to supply and was jailed for 12 years. The court heard he had previously been given a 26-year term in Thailand for a drugs supply offence but was released early

• Heidi Murphy, 46, of Woodthorpe Avenue, Boston, was convicted of two charges of conspiracy to supply. Jailed for 12 years

• Hayley Roberts, 29, of Mawson Gardens, Wainfleet admitted one charge of conspiracy to supply and three charges of possession of cannabis. Jailed for five years, eight months

• Rosie Warren, 27, of Clough Road, Gosberton Risegate, admitted conspiracy to supply. Jailed for four years, six months

• Charlotte Brooks,29, of Mawson Gardens, Wainfleet, admitted one charge of conspiracy to supply and one of possessing cannabis. Jailed for three years, two months

• Rebecca Patrick, 30, of Eden Court, Rochford, Essex, admitted allowing her home to be used for storing cocaine and was given a six-month jail sentence suspended for 18 months

A further 12 defendants will be sentenced on Friday.

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