A gang member has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for his involvement in a cocaine supply ring operating in Cannock.
Police Raid and Arrest
Thomas White, aged 30, from Blackfords in Cannock, was arrested during a series of coordinated police raids across the town this summer. Officers executed multiple warrants on the same day as part of a targeted operation against organised crime.
When police searched White's home, they discovered two bags of cocaine. Despite initially denying any involvement in drug supply during police questioning, the evidence gathered was substantial.
Court Proceedings and Sentencing
White subsequently pleaded guilty at court to four counts of supplying cocaine, a Class A controlled drug, and one count of being concerned in the supply of cocaine.
On Thursday, November 20, he was sentenced at Stafford Crown Court to four years and six months imprisonment.
This case is part of a larger investigation that led to nine arrests. Five other individuals arrested during the warrants admitted to offences in court on July 11. They have been remanded and are awaiting sentencing at Stafford Crown Court on March 19 next year.
Wider Impact and Police Statement
Staffordshire Police confirmed that a man and a woman, both from Cannock, who admitted being concerned in the supply of cocaine at an earlier hearing, were collectively jailed for six years and four months in September.
Two further people arrested and charged in June are scheduled to appear at Stafford Crown Court on December 8.
Chief Inspector Al Lyford, from the Cannock local policing team, commended the operation: “Officers and staff have worked tirelessly on this investigation to compile all of the evidence needed to take nine criminals off the streets.”
He added, “This involved carrying out 12 search warrants at different homes in the area all on the same day in order to strike proactively against organised crime and to tackle the people adversely affecting local communities. We worked closely with our colleagues in the major and organised crime department to make this investigation possible, and I’m pleased that we’ve been able to achieve such a great result through some effective proactive policing.”
