Marcus Steadman, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, was sentenced to four years in prison.

Marcus Steadman, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply crack cocaine, was sentenced to four years in prison.
judge also ordered him to complete the remainder of the five-year sentence he was serving while in Sudbury and sentenced him to an additional 230 days.
West Derbyshire MP Patrick McLoughlin said people convicted of serious drugs offences should not be sent to open prisons.
He said: "This is a person who has obviously caused a lot of damage and I find it absurd that someone convicted of this type of crime can be considered for an open prison.
A spokeswoman for Sudbury Prison said Steadman would have been assessed for suitability for Category D (low security, open jail) conditions by a governor at the prison from which he was sent.
She said: "I am unable to give any further information as the computer records held are now unavailable."
Steadman had been convicted of possession with intent to supply drugs. After he walked out of his Sudbury sentence, he became involved in the drugs ring when he was recruited by a "Mr Big" in London. The ring was centred on Teesside.
Cleveland police could not yesterday give details of which prison Steadman, now of no fixed abode, was sent to when he began his five-year sentence, or when he was transferred to Sudbury.
The Derbyshire jail could also not immediately give those details.
Teesside Crown Court had heard that the drugs ring became known as the Donna Network, because addicts telephoning to get crack cocaine spoke to a woman who gave the false name Donna.
It is likely the group first targeted Middlesbrough in 2004. They hoped to establish the town as the regional hub from which to supply crack cocaine to the North East.
Police estimate that the Donna Network had a turnover of £1m a year from its Middlesbrough dealings. It is believed that the drug cash fuelled lavish lifestyles among the hierarchy and was also sent to Jamaica to invest in property.
Steadman was arrested by police in Teesside in April last year. The court was told he had been brought from London to run so-called safe houses in Middlesbrough.
He was jailed along with seven others involved in the drugs scam.
Detective Constable Kevin Harper, a police intelligence officer for Sudbury Prison, said it would be unlikely that Steadman would end up in an open jail again.
He said: "The majority of prisoners who abscond from the prison are recaptured very quickly. Those found to abusing the open prison conditions, such as Steadman, would be unlikely to be considered for those conditions again."
Sudbury had faced criticism because of its number of escapees. However, figures released exclusively to the Evening Telegraph recently revealed how the number of absconders had reduced by 75% since the introduction of a new policy which takes a harder line on those who try to flee.
Between January and June 2006, 48 inmates walked out of the prison, compared with 12 this year – a 75% reduction.
In 2006, 86 prisoners escaped but, by the end of 2007, this was reduced to 54.
Mr McLoughlin said: "I would say that Sudbury has improved dramatically in the rate of absconders, particularly since the introduction of a new system which means the consequences of absconding are more severe."

Raja Ali Arshad,Shazad Majid admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs

When officers raided the address in Oxford Road, Linthorpe, an attic bedroom revealed a drug-dealing treasure trove - £1.16m of heroin, £4,000 of high-purity cocaine and £626 of crack cocaine, Teesside Crown Court heard.Police have welcomed the convictions of four men embroiled in a huge narcotics conspiracy after Teesside’s biggest ever drugs haul.The Middlesbrough ring could have put millions of pounds worth of cocaine and heroin on to the streets of Teesside.Raja Ali Arshad, 26, who lived at the Oxford Road home, and Shazad Majid, 29, of Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby, admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs between December 31, 2006 and July 19 last year.Arshad’s brother Murthaza Arshad, 24, also of Oxford Road, and Amin Younis, 31, of Brafferton Road, denied the charge but were convicted by a jury after a four-week trial.Detective Constable Jim Devine said: “Four people who would have poured misery on to the streets will now themselves have a period of time to consider the implications of their ill-gotten trades.”The men will be sentenced in about two weeks’ time.

Raja Arshad,Shazad Majid pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs between December 2006 and July last year.

Raja Arshad, 26, who lived there, and Shazad Majid,29, of Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby, had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply class A drugs between December 2006 and July last year. They were remanded in custody for sentence later.
Three more men and a woman deny conspiracy with them and also with unknown others, and Mr Makepace said that the issue was whether each of them was a party to it.
On trial are Arshad's father, Mohammed Arshad, 50, and his brother, Murthaza Arshad, 24, both of Oxford Road, his sister, Tabenda Kayani, 25, of Kensington Road, Middlesbrough, and Amin Younis, 31, of Brafferton Road, Middlesbrough.
Mr Makespeace said that some of the items in Oxford Road had the fingerprints of Younis. Raja and Murthaza Arshad both had beds in the attic. Murthaza Arshad was arrested in the attic, and he told officers that there was money in the bedroom.
a detective on foot patrol spotted a nervous woman on a street corner carry out a drug deal with a man in a car.Police then tailed the P-reg Mercedes to an address in Linthorpe, Middlesbrough, and a decision was taken to apply for a search warrant.
two hours later, officers raided a house in Oxford Road, Middlesbrough, where they walked in on a family scene of a couple and two young children.
But in the attic they found a bedroom containing a black suitcase which they were told held £2,000 business takings, but the true figure was £5,040 heavily stained with heroin. The attic also gave up £1m worth of heroin with a street value of nearly £2m, the biggest amount discovered in Middlesbrough, and also huge quantities of cocaine and crack cocaine.There were cutting agents used to dilute the drugs, and a vast amount of packaging material, plastic bags, brown paper and scales.
Nearby in Ayresome Street - at a disused shop and garage with a flat above - they found a drugs factory with more packaging, cutting agents and a blender coated with heroin.Peter Makepeace, prosecuting, told the jury about the Oxford Road police raid - he said: "They had every reason to believe that they were about to carry out a routine drug search and uncover some low level street dealer."

Ayou Xie,Golden City takeaway Qi Wu,converting the property into a cannabis farm with hydroponic lights, water sprays and thermometers.

Qi Wu, 40, was recommended for deportation in 2006 after fraud convictions, Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.But Wu was allowed to continue living in the UK, and last October rented a six-bedroom house on Marton Road, Middlesbrough.
Just 18 days later, police found he was converting the property into a cannabis farm with hydroponic lights, water sprays and thermometers.
In a second separate case, an even larger cannabis farm was uncovered in a flat above the Golden City takeaway on Norton Road, Stockton on November 14 last year.
Chef Ayou Xie, 26, lived there and minded 264 healthy ‘skunk’ cannabis plants in three rooms. A fridge also revealed 361 cannabis cuttings. Xie and two unidentified men bought equipment. Only Xie, who had no previous convictions and was refused asylum in 2000, was arrested.Recorder Toby Hedworth QC said Xie helped cultivation in an operation which could have generated huge profit, jailing him for two years for his limited role. Both Xie and Wu admitted producing the Class C drug. Judge George Moorhouse jailed Wu for 15 months, accepting he was under others’ control and showed remorse.

Rodney MacRobert caught with a hacksaw, an axe and a bag of cannabis bush

Rodney MacRobert, 38, was caught with a hacksaw, an axe and a bag of cannabis bush on Bolckow Road, Grangetown, on June 10 last year.He said he was on his way to Corus to steal copper cable to sell as scrap.In a search of his home on South Terrace, South Bank, the next day, officers found 14 £10 bags of amphetamine, totalling 12.4g.They also discovered more cannabis, electronic scales, a diary containing lists of names and figures and £65 cash.This, as well as texts on his mobile phone, were consistent with drug dealing, prosecutor Patricia Mancina told Teesside Crown Court.
MacRobert told police he sold amphetamine to fund his habit, dealt for a week-and-a-half, and borrowed from his mother to buy his stock.
MacRobert admitted possession of the Class B drug with intent to supply, possession of cannabis and going equipped for theft.He also breached a community order imposed in January 2007 for possession of Class A, B and C drugs and allowing his home to be use for the sale of amphetamine - which he said he was bullied into after finds of magic mushrooms, amphetamine and cannabis in a police raid.Kristian Mills, defending, said MacRobert had been addicted to amphetamines for ten years, but had now stopped taking the drug.MacRobert was abandoned by his parents as a child and spiralled into crime and drugs. He breached the community order because he went to the Worthing area to care for his terminally ill father.Judge Peter Armstrong told MacRobert: “You’re on the brink of going to prison.”But he suspended a nine-month jail sentence for two years with supervision.He added: “Your future’s in your hands.”

Operation Lumberjack.seven arrested for drug offences

Twenty officers with a passive drugs dog visited seven licensed premises in Stockton, Billingham and Thornaby on Saturday night as part of Operation Lumberjack.
Six men and one woman were arrested during the evening.A 55-year-old man was cautioned for the possession of ecstasy in Billingham.A 21-year-old man, also in Billingham, was cautioned for the possession of cocaine.A 27-year-old woman was charged with possession of amphetamines in Thornaby and is due in court.A 31-year-old man was charged with possessing a bladed article in Billingham and is to appear in court.A 29-year-old man, wanted for an assault on a woman, was found and arrested in Stockton. He has been bailed pending further inquiries.Two men - one in Stockton and one in Thornaby - were also arrested for public order offences and issued with fixed penalty notices for disorder which incurs an £80 fine.

Stephen Richardson,Andrew Sinharoy were convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.

Stephen Richardson, 23, and Andrew Sinharoy, 28, from Middlesbrough, were convicted of robbery and attempted robbery.
They turned on long-distance lorry driver Stewart Brockie, 45, after he arranged a drug deal he had no intention of seeing through, Teesside Crown Court heard.He hoped to see prostitute Hazel Grantham, whom he heard was being used for drug deals, to “rekindle a relationship” with her, said prosecutor Richard Bennett.She was nowhere in sight when he travelled from North Yorkshire to Middlesbrough’s Acklam Road on October 27 last year.Instead, he was met by Sinharoy, who got angry when Mr Brockie did not want £120 worth of crack cocaine and had no money to pay for it.Sinharoy was joined by his “back-up” Richardson. They chased Mr Brockie and pushed him over, the jury heard.
Richardson pulled a knife, and they demanded, “Give us your money.”They searched Mr Brockie at knifepoint before taking his wallet and mobile phone. Finding no cash, they forced him to drive them to an ATM where he managed to escape.Richardson, of Newport Road, and Sinharoy, of Wicklow Street, denied the charges this week.The defence claimed Mr Brockie had an “obsession” with Ms Grantham, and framed boyfriend Richardson to “get him out of the way”.It was alleged that Mr Brockie went to buy drugs and was assaulted by two other, unnamed dealers.Richardson and Sinharoy told the jury they came to Mr Brockie’s assistance, paying the dealers £120 between them from their own drugs money to help.Recorder Tony Kelbrick remanded the in custody until sentencing, saying a jail term was “almost inevitable”.

Savdhul Zaman the former Middlesbrough light welterweight convicted of conspiracy to supply

Savdhul Zaman, 25, was the landlord of a house in Stainton Street, North Ormesby, where the huge drugs haul was uncovered in a police raid. The house stank of cannabis, Teesside Crown Court heard.Prosecutors believe the drugs - worth almost £12,000 - were part of a four-kilo consignment.
Prosecutor Jolyon Perks said: “The manner of the packaging is consistent with those kilogram bags being obtained directly from those who either import the drug into the country or produce it within the UK on a commercial basis.
“The amount found was most probably being readied for supply to dealers.”
One-time England international amateur boxer Zaman, of Westbourne Grove, North Ormesby, denied distributing or using any drug.But yesterday a jury unanimously convicted the former Middlesbrough light welterweight star of conspiracy to supply Class C drug.John Coltman, 27, of Longlands Road, Middlesbrough, was also convicted of the conspiracy between October 1, 2005 and December 8, 2006.Zameer Ahmed, 25, of Pickering Road, Thornaby, admitted the charge. The three will be sentenced on March 12.“The prosecution say that each defendant played a role in the onward supply of this consignment,” said Mr Perks.Ahmed was found with £1,200 cash at an address in Percy Street, Middlesbrough on December 7, 2006. He had a key to the Stainton Street home.Police forced the door of that house, where Coltman and Ahmed were living.Next to Coltman’s bed, officers found a suitcase containing two double-bagged packages of 999g cannabis, each worth about £8,400.A bin bag at the foot of the stairs contained 17 ounce “deals” of cannabis, worth about £3,400.It also revealed four heavy duty kilo bags tied and rolled up inside each other, containing a parcel of one third of a kilo of cannabis.This, claimed Mr Perks, was the remnants of another two kilos.There was also a set of scales and a tin in a wardrobe, containing four ounce deals.Detective Constable Jim Devine, an experienced drugs officer, said users and street dealers would not come into contact with such large quantities of the drug.The fingerprints of Ahmed, Bellamy and Zaman were found on the various items, Zaman’s on 15 of the 17 ounce bags and on packaging ties.Zaman claimed he did not know of illegal activity at the house.He said he came into contact with the packages innocently, gathering up bags while tidying the messy house, which he intended to sell.A fourth man Richard Bellamy, 23, from Wharncliffe Side, Sheffield - alleged to be a courier - was cleared of conspiracy.He said he handled bags selecting drugs as a user.But he could still be jailed in Sheffield for convictions there of possessing cannabis with intent to supply and possession of a stun gun.

Gary Robb, 45,owned the Colosseum nightclub in Stockton which was raided by 200 police officers in riot gear and shut down in 1996

Gary Robb, who just seven years ago along with 44-year-old James, was one of the biggest drugs pedlars in the North-East, skipped bail in 1997 and fled to Turkish Cyprus, a sanctuary for those on the run from British law.
The drug barons owned a string of nightclubs across the North-East in the 1990s, including the infamous Colosseum in Stockton, which in 1996 was raided by more than 200 police officers in riot gear. They seized a haul of Ecstasy, amphetamines and cannabis worth £10,000. The notorious rave club, in Norton Road, was closed following the raid.
The brothers, who had peddled illicit substances through their clubs, were arrested and Gary Robb appeared in court on September 23, 1997. By September 24, the day he was due to be tried, he had eluded authorities, skipped bail and fled across Europe to his beach-side safe haven. The Turkish side of the island is not recognised as an independent state by British officials, meaning extradition procedures are impossible.In 1997, Robb’s brother James was jailed for 12 years for allowing his premises in Stockton to be used for drug dealing.
Chief Superintendent Mark Braithwaite, head of crime operations for Cleveland Police, said: “A warrant was issued by a crown court judge for the arrest of Gary Robb after he fled the court during a trial where he faced a number of charges which included conspiracy to supply class A drugs.
“That warrant is still very much active and we at Cleveland Police would seek to arrest him if he returned to the UK, and if he knowingly entered the jurisdiction of a country that has an extradition treaty with the UK we will be in a position to take action in that regard also.”
Gary Robb, who fled the UK to live in exile has indicated he could return home in a bid to clear his name.
And Cleveland Police chiefs today confirmed they would welcome the move - as a warrant is still outstanding for his arrest.
A European arrest warrant and Interpol “red bulletin” is thought to have been issued on Gary Robb.
Gary Robb, 45,owned the Colosseum nightclub in Stockton which was raided by 200 police officers in riot gear and shut down in 1996
He was due to stand trial at Teesside Crown Court charged with conspiracy to supply class A drugs but skipped bail and fled to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in 1997.
Robb has been living on the island, which has no extradition treaty with the UK, for 10 years, where he has helped build up a building empire - Aga Development Construction.
He is now claiming that if he does return to Teesside he would plead not guilty to the drugs charges.
“I had been involved in nightclub door security since the age of 17 and was very aware of what drugs could do to people,” he said.
“I never touched the stuff myself and would never allow it to be pushed in the clubs in the North-east I ran with my older brother, James.
“Refusing to allow a pusher into one of our clubs almost got me shot on one occasion but we never changed our policy.”
His flight to northern Cyprus was triggered by the police raid on the Colosseum, which uncovered ecstasy, amphetamines and cannabis.
Recalling the night of the raid, he said: “It turned out the police had carried out an undercover operation at the Colosseum when they had been able to buy drugs, despite our policy and extensive security to stop pushers getting in.”
“When my lawyer examined the court papers it was clear I had been set up by someone who gave a statement to police claiming I was putting money up to finance drug-dealing.”
Robb claims that person had since retracted the allegation and said it had been “absolutely central” to the case against him.
He said: “My lawyer, Barry Stewart, who had a house in North Cyprus, told me the day before the trial that if I stayed in the UK I wouldn’t get a fair trial.
Robb, a married father of three, added he wanted to complete a development in northern Cyprus and then “go back to the UK where I believe it will now be possible for me to clear my name”.
However, he is calling on the British Government to release £1.5m which he claims was frozen when he tried to transfer the money from an account in Cyprus to one in Thailand.
Robb said the money was being moved only as a bridging loan to allow him to kick-start a development in Thailand and was to be returned to Cyprus to fund bungalow developments there.
Now he is saying he will return to Britain to face trial as soon as the Government releases his money.

Cannabis Growing House on Teeside

A cannabis house on Teeside has been uncovered after workers at a drugs charity noticed a strong smell coming from the empty house next door.
Plants with a street value of £250,000 were seized when police raided the house in Stockton's Skinner Street.Officers found specially-heated and ventilated rooms full of cannabis plants.Staff from A Way Out noticed the smell when they bought Christmas decorations down from their loft.

Sabrina Brown

Sabrina Brown, of Albert Terrace, Middlesbrough. fingerprints linked her to almost 200g of cannabis found at a Middlesbrough home.Brown admitted possession of a Class C drug

Marinaok Griffiths

Marinaok Griffiths, 39, admitted possession of the 184g of cannabis with intent to supply. She also admitted an identical charge for 208.6g of cannabis from July 28 last year, also relating to a search at her Parliament Road home.

Domenyk Lattlay-Fottfoy

Domenyk Noonan is appealing against a jail sentence for having a gun in his car, claiming he was "set up" by the police.

Domenyk Lattlay-Fottfoy, a member of the Noonans gangland family, was stopped in a Jaguar car by police near Darlington in May and found with a handgun and five .357 Magnum bullets.A jury at Teesside Crown Court found the 41-year-old guilty of possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm without a certificate and having a firearm and ammunition in his possession.Lattlay-Fottfoy, who ran a security business, is the brother of murdered Manchester hardman Desmond Noonan, who was stabbed to death earlier this year.Both brothers had appeared in a controversial television documentary about the Manchester criminal underworld in which Desmond hinted he was responsible for 27 murders.

Domenyk Lattlay-Fottfoy nine-and-a-half years

December, Noonan, who has changed his surname to Lattlay-Fottfoy, was jailed for nine-and-a-half years after he was found to have a handgun and five bullets in his car when he was stopped in Darlington.
He claims a man had planted the gun and ammunition in his car.
He is appealing after a jury at Teesside Crown Court convicted him of three firearms offences.
Domenyk Lattlay-Fottfoy, is the brother of murdered Manchester hardman Desmond Noonan, who was stabbed to death earlier this year also a member of the Noonans gangland family, was stopped in a Jaguar car by police near Darlington in May and found with a handgun and five .357 Magnum bullets.
A jury at Teesside Crown Court found the 41-year-old guilty of possession of a firearm, possessing a firearm without a certificate and having a firearm and ammunition in his possession.
Both brothers had appeared in a controversial television documentary about the Manchester criminal underworld in which Desmond hinted he was responsible for 27 murders.

Paul Allan Firth , Debra James

Paul Allan Firth and his partner Debra James in Oliver Street, South Bank, in the raids.In the first, officers found 60g, worth £600, in a child’s jacket pocket, with smaller amounts in the kitchen, said prosecutor Shaun Dodds.While the couple were on bail, the house was searched again almost seven months later.Another £500 of the drug was found in a pillow case, as well as scales, bags and phones.Firth, 35, and James, 39, each admitted two charges of possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply.Firth alone admitted the same charge for the third raid.

Jamie Dawson, 19

Dawson, of Gilpin Road, Thornaby, admitted possession of a Class A drug. 12-month conditional discharge

Kevin Tymon

Kevin Tymon, 34, ran a “corner shop” with users sent to his home at Elm House Apartments in Stockton, said a Teesside Crown Court judge.
Prosecutor Sue Jacobs told how Tymon was involved in various exchanges of £5 wraps .

Mark Raymond Scott

Police executed a search warrant at his home in Belle Vue Court, Stockton, and found 247g of the drug with a street value of nearly £10,000. Teesside Crown Court heard that Scott was on licence at the time.He was jailed for four-and-a-half years.

Reginald “Shaggy” Johnson,Leanne McCaffery, Rhaul Warren

Crack cocaine dealer Reginald “Shaggy” Johnson has been arrested.
The drugs squad had been working to bring him to justice for five years and now knew he was going to prison for a long time.Middlesbrough drug dealer Reginald "Shaggy" Johnson and two more cogs in the town's supply chain have been jailed for a total of 12 years.
Johnson was a "prime mover" who employed and deployed runners in a crack cocaine "family business", Teesside Crown Court heard yesterday.
"I am satisfied that you were the leader of this enterprise," Judge David Bryant told him, jailing him for five years. "You had a flourishing retail business dealing in crack cocaine over a considerable period with a considerable number of customers."
He told Johnson's 33-year-old girlfriend and drug runner Leanne McCaffery: "Yours was a lesser role but you were an enthusiastic participant in this drug dealing business."
She was imprisoned for four years, and Rhaul Warren, 21, for three years. Johnson and McCaffery, both of Essex Street, and Warren, of Falmouth Street, all admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs between August 15 and December 1 last year.

Shafiq Aziz, Liaquet Ali ,Damion Clenaghan

Shafiq Aziz, Liaquet Ali and Damion Clenaghan, all of Middlesbrough.
Aziz, 3839 on Nov 24, of Fountains Drive, Ali, 49, of Clifton Street, and Clenaghan, 22, of Cobham Street, are jointly charged with conspiring with three others to produce cannabis between December 1 last year and May 22 this year.
Aziz is also accused of possessing a Class B controlled drug, amphetamine, and having custody or control of counterfeit currency.
In May, police swooped on 11 properties in Middlesbrough.
They discovered an “industrial scale” cannabis farm in a property in Longlands Road.
Earlier this week police carried out more raids in the town, including two business premises in Parliament Road.