The ringleaders of a county lines gang who peddled heroin, crack cocaine and other drugs into the Amber Valley have been jailed for a combined total of more than 15 years.
The gang operated the ‘Trooper Line’ which involved dealing Class A and B drugs across South Normanton between March 2024 and January 2025.
Gang members stored drugs before exploiting children by using them as ‘runners’ to supply the illegal substances and collecting cash from them.
The criminal operation was orchestrated from prison by Anthony Brown who used mobile phones to arrange for the drugs to be bought and dealt on the outside.
Another gang member called Samuel Silvester was identified as being responsible for directing and controlling the drugs operation out in the community.
Lori Westcott and Jamie McKinley collected drugs from upstream suppliers and gave them to children ‘runners’ to deal.
The gang used two mobile phone numbers in order to advertise the sale of illegal substances for which users would reply to and then arrange to collect the drugs.
But their criminal operation was uncovered by a team of officers in our Criminal Exploitation Team as part of Operation Beachside.
Our investigation revealed the gang used a taxi to transport a child around the region as part of their drug dealing enterprise.
Evidence showed that Brown had booked a cab in August 2024 for the purposes of ferrying a child around to collect and sell drugs with stops in Alfreton, Nottingham and Manchester.
CCTV also showed gang members going to shops to top up the mobile phones being used to deal drugs.
In September last year officers carried out search warrants at three properties linked to the gang and recovered mobile phones, money and drugs from the scene.
The following month, Brown’s prison cell was searched, during which officers recovered a mobile phone from his dressing gown pocket.
Border Force officials recovered two packages in October and November which contained 2.2kg and 2.6kg of cannabis.
Analysis of a mobile phone recovered from gang members revealed that Brown had been ordering the drugs from Thailand and had asked Silvester to provide addresses for them to be delivered to.
All four gang members were arrested and charged with numerous drug-related offences.
They have now been dealt with at court and received significant sentences.
Brown (26) formerly of Red Lane, South Normanton and Samuel Silvester (22) of Jephson Road, Sutton-in-Ashfield, both admitted conspiring together with others to supply heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis. Brown also admitted at earlier hearings being in possession of cannabis and of having a mobile phone in prison.
During a sentencing hearing at Derby Crown Court on Friday 2 January, Brown was jailed for nine years and six months, and Silvester was imprisoned for six years and one month.
Lori Westcott (26) of Victoria Road, Pinxton, and Jamie McKinlay (21) of Godfrey Street, Heanor, both admitted conspiring together with others to supply cannabis and each received a community order to complete 120 hours’ worth of unpaid work.
Westcott and McKinlay were sentenced during an earlier hearing at Derby Crown Court on Thursday 24 July.
Detective Inspector Chris Ford, who leads the Criminal Exploitation Team, said: “This gang exploited vulnerable members of society – namely children – by coercing them into dealing drugs on their behalf.
“Their activities caused misery in the communities in which they supplied heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis and we are pleased to see that the gang ringleaders have been taken off our streets.
“We will not stop in our endeavours to rid out streets of County Lines gangs and we will continue to work around-the-clock, all year round in order to protect our communities.
“If you believe drug dealing is happening in your neighbourhood, please report it to us.”
County lines is the name given to drug dealing where organised criminal groups (OCGs) use phone lines to move and supply drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.
For more information about how to spot the signs of county lines drug dealing, and how to report incidents to us, please visit:- County lines | Derbyshire Constabulary
