A Midland drug dealer who worked for rapper 50 Cent has been sentenced to 18-and-a-half years in prison for his involvement in a massive cocaine network, despite the hip-hop star writing to a court pleading for his release on bail to join him on tour.
Rapper's letter fails to sway judge
The musician, whose real name is Curtis James Jackson III, wrote a letter to a judge offering to pay £50,000 in bail money so that Samir Hassan, 37, could rejoin his entourage for his European Legacy Tour. Hassan had served as tour staff for the American rapper but was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property.
Hassan was among a group, including a man from Birmingham, who flooded the streets of Derbyshire with multiple kilos of high-purity cocaine, which was subsequently distributed to customers and other criminal organisations for further supply. The gang were jailed for a combined total of 160 years at Derby Crown Court on 10 July.
Senior drug kingpins at the helm
The court heard that drug kingpins Tony Lewis, 37, and Harninder Purewal, 47, were operating at a senior level, facilitating the supply of Class A drugs into the country. Lewis, who also dealt significant quantities of heroin, maintained connections with criminals both in the UK and overseas, making regular trips to Dubai as part of his illicit operations. His Dubai-based associate assisted in smuggling Class A drugs into the UK, before Lewis would transport the contraband across the country and into Scotland.
The narcotics transported into Derby were dispersed amongst several organised crime groups – including two led by Domnic Hulland, 29, and Aaron O'Donnell, 36, with Purewal also acting as a facilitator above them both.
Investigation uncovers vast network
The East Midlands Special Operations Unit's investigation unfolded over a number of months, with officers uncovering transfers of cocaine and criminal proceeds across the extensive network. Examination of the network's movements, mobile phones and finances pinpointed those responsible for the large-scale distribution of Class A drugs once they entered the UK, with assistance from other network members based abroad.
Hassan claimed to work in the music industry and informed the court he was part of the touring staff for US rapper 50 Cent. His defence team even submitted a letter from 50 Cent to the court, requesting bail variations to allow Hassan to join him on his European tour. There is no suggestion 50 Cent had any knowledge of his tour member's criminal activities.
Police warn of cocaine's wider harm
Following the case, Detective Inspector Beth Lee, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), commented: "Cocaine supply can often be viewed as victimless; but the harm caused by cocaine trafficking extends far beyond the end user. It's the families of the person whose addiction is causing a decline in mental health and unmanageable debt. It's the children growing up exposed to drug use and its effects, which can contribute to their physical and emotional neglect. It's the harm caused by domestic abuse perpetrators whose inhibitions have lowered and their aggression increased due to their use of cocaine. It's the victims of cocaine fuelled serious violence when on a night out, or the innocent road users put at risk by those driving under the influence of cocaine. It's children and vulnerable adults exploited into taking the most risk, for the least reward, to facilitate the supply chain from trafficker to end user. It's the communities having to suffer an atmosphere of terrifying violence when an organised crime group takes hold of an area."
"Cocaine trafficking drives violence, intimidation, and exploitation, allowing criminal networks to maintain their influence and their profits. Without tackling those at the top of the chain, the cycle often repeats itself. Our aim is to get to the worst offenders first and cut off the supply which ultimately feeds and fuels the associated harm across our communities."
"There's no denying that these criminal networks work hard and are constantly advancing their skills to increase their profits and evade law enforcement. This investigation and the result shows that we too work hard to continue to advance and evolve our skills to match and adapt to the efforts and techniques shown by the criminals we seek to disrupt."
Full list of sentences
Tony Lewis, 37, from Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine, conspiracy to supply heroin, being concerned in the supply of cannabis and the transfer of criminal property. He received an 11-year prison sentence. Harninder Purewal, 47, from Derby, was convicted following a trial of conspiracy to supply cocaine and received a 20-year prison sentence. Dominic Hulland, 29, from Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property. He received a prison sentence of 16 years and six months. Aaron O'Donnell, 36, from Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cannabis and possession of criminal property and received a prison sentence of 14 years and eight months. Max Bowler, 30, from Long Eaton, Derbyshire, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine, possession of cocaine with intent to supply, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and was convicted of possession of a firearm with the intent to cause fear or violence. He received a prison sentence of 13 years and six months. Samir Hassan, 37, from Hammersmith, London, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and possession of criminal property and received a prison sentence of 18 years and six months. Alan Hulland, 54, from Elvaston, Derbyshire, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and received a nine-year prison sentence. Nicholas Cleary, 32, from Birmingham, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and received a prison sentence of seven years and six months. Jordan Hudson, 31, from Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and being concerned in the supply of cannabis and received a 10-year prison sentence. Joshua Keyland, 35, from Derby, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine, admitted being concerned in the supply of cannabis and received a 13-year and six-month prison sentence. Lucas Sankey, 29, from Derby, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and received an eight-year and six-month prison sentence. Valentino Talic, 30, from Derby, was convicted of conspiracy to supply cocaine and received an eight-year prison sentence. Kyle Steadman, 32, from Derby, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and received a 12-year prison sentence. A 14th individual, Amanda Hutchinson, admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and will be sentenced on 17 August.
