Six men sentenced to nearly 25 years in total for dealing cocaine in the Cityhttps://www.cityoflondon.police.uk/news ... -the-city/An Organised Crime Group (OCG) which ran the longest and biggest drug lines supplying cocaine in the City of London has been sentenced to a total of 24 years and six months in prison.
The six men were sentenced at Inner London Crown Court with the ringleader, Nathan Samuels, receiving the biggest sentence of nine years behind bars.
The group was dismantled following an investigation by the City of London Police’s Serious Organised Crime Team, who caught the criminals by using extensive evidence from phone records and phone messages linking the OCG to the supply of Class A cocaine.
The OCG pleaded guilty to the supply of cocaine between 1 March 2022 and 14 October 2023 in the City of London through the drug supply line known as “City Gear” or “Top Gear”.
The line was branded on WhatsApp, with the Top Gear logo and was active delivering drugs through the Covid-19 pandemic.
The drug enterprise sold cocaine almost exclusively in the City of London. Officers discovered a huge database of clients, with around 10,000 numbers stored in the OCG’s contact list.
The group was convicted and sentenced to the following:
Nathan Samuels, 57, of Cornwall Road, SE1, head of the OCG, was sentenced to nine years in prison for the supply of cocaine.
Matthew Samuels, 33, of Rotherhithe New Road, SE16, was found guilty for being concerned in the supply of Class A cocaine. He was sentenced to three and a half years in prison.
Michael Redgrave, 56, of Cornwall Road, SE1, who used his black taxicab to deal cocaine as a courier. He was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison for the supply of cocaine.Aaron Bretao, 43, of Skinner Street, EC1R, a courier for the OCG, was sentenced to three years in jail for the supply of cocaine.
Martin Gupta, 38, of Fairgreen Court, EN4, a courier for the OCG, was sentenced to four years and three months for the supply of cocaine.
Josh Atherton, 24, of Hemingford Road, N1, was sentenced to two years in prison for the supply of cocaine. He also pleaded guilty of possession of a weapon for the discharge of a noxious liquid, which he received four months to run concurrently. Both sentences suspended for two years.
Lead Detective Constable Matt Cooper, from the Serious Organised Crime Team at the City of London Police, said:
“This was a serious and sophisticated drug supply operation which would have resulted in large quantities of cocaine being sold over an extended period of time. This was one of the longest running and biggest cocaine lines in the City of London.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to disrupt and tackle serious and organised crime groups and these sentences demonstrate our commitment to putting criminals involved in drug lines and drug supply behind bars.
“We hope that this sends out a clear message to those involved in the illegal drugs trade, as well as a reassurance to members of the public, that we will take action against those criminals and bring them to justice.”
During the investigations, ledgers were recovered which recorded the number of sales per day. This showed that in just one week, the group amassed sales of 410 wraps valued at £14,480.
The ledger also included a rota for the drug couriers and code names associated with them. Michael Redgrave was referenced as CAB and Aaron Bretao as CAR. The records showed the couriers earned £300 a day for dealing drugs.
The City of London Police’s Serious Organised Crime Team (SOCT) focuses on breaking down organised crime groups involved in activities such as the production and distribution of drugs, human trafficking and money laundering. The dedicated team is successfully bringing criminals to justice and keeping people in the City safe.
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