Police standing with their car. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police.

A drug lord and his ‘sidekick’ attempted to escape Nottinghamshire in a taxi before they were pulled over by police and arrested.

Andrew Fitzgerald, 35, head of the organised crime group controlling drug lines across Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire, was arrested alongside his ‘trusted right-hand man’ Sean Richardson, 34, in July 2024 and have now both been sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court.

 

The pair admitted conspiring to supply Class A drugs and were sentenced to 12 years and eight years in prison respectively.

During his sentencing remarks, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said there could be “no doubt this was a category one conspiracy” and that he was ‘satisfied’ that “at least 15kg of Class A drugs, perhaps even 20kg, were trafficked by this group.”

The OCG’s leader Andrew Fitzgerald (left), and his right-hand man Sean Richardson (right). Credit: Nottinghamshire Police.

The arrests did not stop here however, and as a result of two investigations named Operation Ravenclaw and Operation Drawbridge, 13 more were sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court the same day.

Both operations uncovered class A drugs, which detectives estimated were worth £125,000, high-value jewellery worth more than £40,000 and various weapons including an air pistol, knives and a cross bow with arrows.

“These were callous criminals who only cared about making vast amounts of money.”

– DETECTIVE CONSTABLE STEVEN FENYN

Detectives attributed the unravelling of the conspiracy to mobile phones seized by the police, in which one of the group’s suppliers referenced the bulk purchasing of class A drugs.

Some of the drugs seized by Nottinghamshire Police detectives. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police.

Police put the final nail in the coffin when stash houses supplying ‘large volumes of drugs’ were identified in Bulwell and Bestwood, which ultimately pieced together the activities of the criminal gang.

When multiple warrants were executed at these properties, a ‘plethora’ of mobile phones were seized containing ‘damning’ evidence of the defendant’s guilt.

Other members of the crime group who were arrested were:

  • Aaron Miller, 35, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, with police noting his role of orchestrating and facilitating purchases of bulk quantities of class A drugs. Jailed for 11 years.
  • Nathan Sharp, 34, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and acted as a conduit controlling drug lines in Sutton and Kirkby. Jailed for eight years.
  • Andrew Cox, 41, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was trusted to hold ‘significant’ quantities of heroin and crack cocaine. Jailed for eight years.
  • Corey Graham, 24, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was recruited to prepare and store a bulk supply of drugs. Jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years.
  • Jamie Buxton, 26, who plead guilty part-way through his trial to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and acted as a courier for the group. Jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years. He was also handed a two-year community order compromised of 30 rehabilitation days and a nine-month drug rehabilitation requirement.
  • Craig Beeson, 41, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and was also sentenced for GBH for an incident in November 2024. Beeson was another courier for the group supplying drugs in Sutton and has been jailed for eight years and nine months.
Seven defendants were jailed in addition to Fitzgerald and Richardson. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police.
  • Stacey Beeson, 39, who plead guilty to supply Class A drugs and was the sister of defendant Craig Beeson. She allowed the group to store large amounts of Class A drugs at her home and was jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years.
  • Yvette Davis, 56, who was found guilty of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs following a five-week trial, acted as a driver for the group, and was jailed for two years, suspended for two years, alongside a two-year community order of 30 rehabilitation days.
  • Claire Lidgett, 41, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, had weapons and drugs seized from her property. Jailed for 18 months, suspended for two years, alongside a two-year community order of 30 rehabilitation days.
  • Tyrone Shand, 38, who plead guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs and was described by police as a “career drug trafficker”. Jailed for six years and nine months.
Weapons discovered during the investigations. Credit: Nottinghamshire Police.
  • Chadwyck Walton, 31, who plead guilty to permitting the use of a premises for supply of Class A and Class B drugs and was found to be in possession of £45,000 worth of drugs. Jailed for four years and six months.
  • Temika Morris, 29, who plead guilty to permitting the use of a premises for supply of Class A and Class B drugs after cocaine, cannabis and drugs paraphernalia were discovered at their home address. Handed an 18-month Community Order, including a 20-day Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Following the sentencings at Nottingham Crown Court, Detective Constable Steven Fenyn of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime unit, said: “This is a fantastic result to see this organised crime group behind bars.

“These were callous criminals who only cared about making vast amounts of money. They didn’t care how lethal their commodities were.”

He added: “We remain absolutely determined to crack down on criminal gangs and will continue to carry out necessary observations, action and enforcement to ensure illegal drugs are taken off our streets.”

The sentencings on Wednesday included immediate prison terms adding up to more than 70 years.