Jason Richards along with his accomplices Jonathon Reed, 31, Ryan Sweeny, 27, from Milton Road, Wellingborough and Andrew Martin, 31,pleaded guilty
Jason Richards ,St Ives Road, Wyken on August 13 last year and arrested the 37-year-old.The raid was one of ten co-ordinated police strikes to take place across the UK.Other raids took place in Northamptonshire, Southampton, London and Buckinghamshire and three further arrests were made.They came as the result of a ten-week long police investigation into the supply of cannabis by the criminal gang. Officers recovered cannabis with an estimated street value of £1million from and £100,000 in cash during the raids on the gang members homes.Coventry man Richards, along with his accomplices – Jonathon Reed, 31, who played his part in the gang while serving a sentence at an open prison, Ryan Sweeny, 27, from Milton Road, Wellingborough and Andrew Martin, 31, of Bridle Road, Burton – pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply cannabis and concealment of criminal property.Reed and Richards also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply a class C drug – testosterone –at Huntington Crown Court.Yesterday the gang appeared at the same court to be sentenced.Reed was ordered to serve six years in prison and Sweeney and Martin were handed four-and-a-half year sentences each.The judge told them their guilty pleas would see their sentences reduced by a third.Coventry man Richards will be sentenced at a later date.Speaking after the court hearing, Detective Inspector Steve O’Farrell, senior investigating officer from Thames Valley Police, said: “These men were involved in a highly organised operation to supply cannabis.“The fact they have received custodial sentences reinforces the message that Thames Valley Police are disrupting organised criminal gangs and sending them to prison.”
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