Ten men jailed for parts in vast drugs network

Ten men have been jailed for their parts in a vast drugs network that imported cocaine and distributed it across Derbyshire.

A sentencing hearing at Derby Crown Court heard the network, which imported drugs from South America, had "prosperous, well-established operations".

The drugs were sold on to local dealers by two organised groups based in Chaddesden and in Sinfin, Derby, between January 2022 and March 2025.

Appearing via video-link from prisons across the UK, ten members of the operation were given prison sentences by judge Jonathan Straw KC.

Straw said drugs were brought into the country by the network and sent to Derby in the same form they left South America before being broken down and distributed.

While both Chaddesden and Sinfin groups operated individually, he said they respected each other's territories and used the same supply chains.

Straw said each member of the gang was aware of the scale of the operation and involved "with energy that borders on enthusiasm", but said: "There was nothing glamourous or Netflix about what you were doing."

The only common link, Straw said, was Harninder Purewal, 47, of Bridge Gate Lane, Derby, who was convicted after trial of two counts of conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine.

The court heard he was a remote figure but played a role as a "conduit" with an "elusive" player known only as Fat Tony.

Purewal held a senior position in both groups and was sentenced to 20 years for his "important" role.

Each group was then operated by a "high-ranking, multi-kilogram dealer", 29-year-old Dominic Hulland in Chaddesden and Aaron O'Donnell, 36, in Sinfin.

A "talented individual" who "sadly chose to channel his energies in a serious criminal way", Hulland ran operations from his Wood Road home, running a "sham enterprise" Primal Training to account for his wealth.

Hulland had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and possession of criminal property in the form of cryptocurrency, and was jailed for 16-and-a-half years.

His "right hand man" Max Bowler, 31, who had used his home in Carlton Road in Long Eaton as a safe house and "operations hub", was also jailed for 13-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and owning a gas-powered imitation pistol.

Dominic's uncle Alan Hulland, 54, of Main Road, Elvaston, was also convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine.

Straw said on one occasion a police stop of Hulland's Audi found 2kg of cocaine on open display in a bag for life on the front seat.

He was jailed for nine years.

Two Chaddesden purchasers were also jailed, Lukas Sankey, 29, of Duffield Road, Derby, for eight-and-a-half years, and Valentino Talic, 31, of Beaufort Street, Chaddesden, for eight years.

Sankey had been awaiting sentence for his part in a separate drugs network in 2019 when he became involved, the court heard.

Sinfin operations commander O'Donnell, of Hobkirk Drive, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, and possession of criminal property, namely cash, and was jailed for 14 years and eight months.

Three people involved "upstream" in bringing the drugs into Derby were also jailed.

Abdirahiim Hassan, 37, was convicted after trial of conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and possession of criminal property in the form of cash.

Straw told Hassan his assertion that trips between his home in London and Derby were to work off debt were "all a lie" and instead referred to his "much talked about jet-set lifestyle" funded by him "making a lot of money" from drug trafficking.

Calling him a "Machiavellian character, cunning scheming and unscrupulous", he said he had a leading role in organising "wholesale drug supply to the Chaddesden group" and jailed him for 18-and-a-half years.

Tony Lewis, 37, of Robert Adam Road, Allestree, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine.

Lewis had links to abroad, including to someone known as Dove based in the United Arab Emirates, and was handed 11 years in jail, while his "trusted courier" Nicholas Cleary, 32, of Dolobran Road, Birmingham, was convicted after trial for his part in "carefully planned and choreographed exchanges" and sentenced to seven-and-a-half years prison.

In addition, three defendants involved in the network had their sentencing delayed:

• Jordan Hudson, 31, of Beaumont Walk, Sunny Hill, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and later pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.
• Kyle Steadman, 32, of Almond Street, Normanton, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine.
• Joshua Keyland, 36, of Holderness Close, Stenson Fields, who was convicted after trial of conspiracy to supply Class A cocaine and had previously pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of cannabis.

They are due to appear on 17 July at the same court.

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