Jail for gang who raided cannabis grows with baseball bats and dealt the spoils

Members of a Scunthorpe gang who would raid illegal cannabis grows armed with baseball bats and then distribute the drugs themselves have been jailed.

Humberside Police said sometimes the "violent criminals" would disguise themselves as police officers while carrying out the raids on rival groups' drug farms. But they were caught out when members of the public reported people stealing vehicles and committing burglaries across Grimsby and Scunthorpe.

When one of the gang members was detained for driving on false registration plates, police took his phone and discovered the crimes had been documented on Snapchat.

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Eight men pleaded guilty to offences involving the supply of drugs when they appeared at Hull Crown Court last week. Between them, they made an estimated £1,000,000 over a four-month period.

Divisional Commander Chief Superintendent Paul French said: “This was an extremely complex investigation into an organised crime group who went to great lengths to distribute drugs and commit crime, bringing misery to our communities.

“By removing this dangerous gang from our community, we have stopped a significant amount of drugs finding their way onto the streets of Scunthorpe, along with the associated crime and antisocial behaviour that goes with this kind of offending.

“I would like to thank the investigations team for their dedication and hard work in building a strong case against these brutal individuals. The investigation saw detectives spending hundreds of hours trawling through a vast amount of mobile phone data, along with forensic and tactical enforcements, in order to put forward a thorough prosecution case.

“The messages, videos and audio notes recovered provided significant evidence that the gang were involved in the taxing of cannabis grows and allowed us to bring these violent criminals to justice."

Seven of the gang were sentenced on Thursday, May 9, with the eighth being sentenced on Friday, May 10:

• Bert Keeton, 22, of Grange Lane South, Scunthorpe entered a not guilty plea and a trial commenced on Thursday 2 May. However, two-days into the trial, Keeton pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B controlled drugs and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglaries and he was sentenced to eight-years and six-months in prison, with an additional four-years to run concurrently.

• Tyler Gallagher, 22, of Berkley Court, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B controlled drugs and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglaries and was sentenced to 11-years and eight-months in prison, with an additional four-years and three-months to run concurrently.

• Liam Pollock, 22, of Lodge Road, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B controlled drugs and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglaries and was sentenced to 12-years and two-months in prison, with an additional four-years and 18-months to run concurrently.

• Charlie Rhodes, 27, of Grange Lane South, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B controlled drugs and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglaries and was sentenced to 14-years and four-months in prison, with an additional four-years to run concurrently.

• Michael Lowther, 19, of Buckingham Avenue, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B controlled drugs and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglaries and was sentenced to nine-years in a youth offending institute, with an additional five-years to run concurrently.

• Joel Haines, 29 of Lodge Road, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class B controlled drugs and conspiracy to commit aggravated burglaries and was sentenced to 10-years and nine-months in prison, with an additional four-years to run concurrently.

• Josh Cooling, 29, of Hereward Place, Scunthorpe. pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply class B controlled drugs and was sentenced to two-years and nine-months in prison.

• Jamie Hemsworth, 29, of Dryden Road, Scunthorpe pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply class B controlled drugs and was sentenced to one-year in prison.

An investigation was launched in January 2023 when Humberside Police received reports of burglaries and vehicle theft. A team of experienced detectives identified the pattern formed part of an organised crime group who were involved in the supply of drugs.

On February 6, 2023, officers spotted a vehicle parked on Laceby Road in Grimsby which had made off from officers earlier in the evening and was being driven on false registration plates. Following a short pursuit, the occupants of the vehicle were detained, one of them being Gallagher who was subsequently arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary.

Gallagher was released from custody on bail whilst officers continued with their investigation. After seizing his mobile phone, detectives uncovered an organised crime group who had documented their extensive serious and organised criminality through Snapchat.

Through the intelligence gathered, including messages, videos, images, and audio notes, it showed that the group were involved in targeting cannabis grows which had been set up by other organised crime groups. As part of this, the group would break into the premises armed with baseball bats, whilst making threats and assaulting the occupants.

It was also identified that the gang used a thermal imaging device to locate heat sources within properties which indicated that the property was potentially being used to cultivate cannabis. Following these enquiries, it was discovered that the organised crime group had divided Scunthorpe into three areas: Town, Ashby and Westcliff.

A dedicated drug line was used to service each area and each drug line was under the control of each of the principal members. The eight men were charged in connection with the offences on May 23.