Eight men coerced vulnerable people into letting their homes be used as county lines drug dens.
The county lines drug dealing gang, who called themselves The Johnno Team, were using pay-as-you-go mobile phones to send flare text messages to known drug users in the Chester area.
Drug runners were used to transport crack cocaine and heroin to the Chester area from Merseyside.
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In addition, vulnerable people living in the Chester area were coerced into letting their homes be used as bases for class A drug dealing, which is a criminal practice known as cuckooing.
On Thursday, April 25 2019 these properties and the known homes of the gang members were raided by the team leading the investigation at Chester Local Policing Unit (LPU), with support from Merseyside Police.
Significant quantities of illegal drugs and cash were seized during the dawn raids in the Chester, Liverpool and St Helens areas.
James Bolland, of Higher Parr Street, St Helens, Kyle Byrne, of Barrymore Road, Old Swan, Dylan Griffiths, of Oakfield Road, Everton, Stephen Clarke, of Lorenzo Drive, Norris Green, David Young, of Stanley Street, Daniel Rubert, of Noble Close, Saltney, Anthony Skyner of no fixed address and Graham Mallon, of Blacon Point Road, Chester all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply heroin and crack cocaine in Chester Crown Court.
Detective Inspector Nick Henderson, of Chester LPU, said: “Cutting off supplies of illegal drugs and removing drug dealers from our communities is of paramount importance.
“In the case of the Merseyside-based organised crime group who refereed to themselves as The Johnno Team, they were flooding the Chester area with heroin and crack cocaine.
“Their sophisticated criminal enterprise incorporated pay-as-you-go mobile phones, flare text messages, drug runners and using the homes of vulnerable residents to sell, supply or store drugs.
“Thankfully, the team at Chester LPU were able to gather a mountain of intelligence and evidence against The Johnno Team and uncover the extent of the operation and the roles that each member were playing.
“The convictions secured and the sentences handed out by Chester Crown Court are the results of a long and complex proactive investigation, which included a series of raids being conducted simultaneously in the Chester and Merseyside areas.
“We hope that this case sends out a clear message that county lines drug dealing and all other forms of serious and organised crime will not be tolerated in Chester or anywhere else in Cheshire.”
The officers who executed the warrants also seized a number of mobile phones belonging to members of The Johnno Team.
Analysis of the phones and cell site data helped to build up a picture of group’s sophisticated criminal enterprise, as did ANPR and CCTV footage.
The extensive evidence gathered showed that Bolland, 27, Rubert, 28, Byrne, 29, and Griffiths, 26, had leading roles in the team, managing the operation.
Bolland was the main ringleader.
The sentences they received were:
- Bolland : Eight years
- Rubert : Seven years
- Byrne : Five years
- Griffiths : Four years and nine months
- Clarke : Four years
- Skyner : Four years
- Young : Three years and six months in a young offenders’ institution
- Mallon : Two years and nine months
