The leader of a Nottingham drug dealing enterprise carried on running his business while on the run from the police and living a life of luxury in Thailand.
Vejay Samuels flew to the other side of the world in a bid to avoid detection and prison – something he was ultimately unable to do after he was locked up today.
The 30-year-old and his crew were responsible for flooding the streets of Nottingham with thousands of pounds worth of cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and cannabis.
Using two dedicated drugs phone lines, the group peddled Class A and Class B drugs they’d sourced from Yorkshire across the city, between August 2022 and November 2023.
Samuels was in charge throughout the conspiracy’s entirety, including several months in 2023, when he maintained his leading role while on the run from the police in Thailand.
He spent eight months in the country living a life of luxury with his girlfriend, Hannah Cwynar, with the duo splashing the cash on an array of fancy apartments and expensive activities.
Samuels was able to gain access to his drug dealing group’s ill-gotten gains while remaining undetected, after the funds were sent on to him via the bank accounts of Cwynar and his ex-partner, Charlotte Franklyn.
His plans had begun to unravel by that stage, however, with a Nottinghamshire Police investigation identifying several other key players, before Samuels himself was detained back in England on his birthday in January 2024.
A dozen people would ultimately be implicated in the scheme to various degrees, with the first success in the case coming after police pulled over a car containing Jake Worrall and Gary Castledine in April 2023.
The duo were arrested when large quantities of crack cocaine were discovered on board, while the fingerprints of Lyndon Wilson were found on the drugs when they were forensically tested.
Wilson had access to bulk quantities of Class A and Class B drugs, some of which was found by police inside his Top Valley home when they executed a warrant in September 2023.
Another key player to be identified was Andrew Mitchell, whose job was to regularly travel to Huddersfield and Bradford to collect bulk quantities of drugs and bring them back to Nottingham for the group to sell.
Fingerprints belonging to Mitchell, Wilson and Samuels were all found on items seized during the raid at Wilson’s home in September 2023 – evidence that would contribute to each later admitting their roles within the conspiracy.
Police had by that stage already got their hands on the two drugs phone lines used by the group to sell their product, after seizing it from crew member Joseph Gavin while executing a warrant at his Bulwell home.
Faced with the mounting evidence and the strength of the case against them, Samuels and eight of his associates all pleaded guilty to the charges of conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs.
Hannah Cwynar, meanwhile, admitted to money laundering on behalf of her boyfriend, Samuels.
Damien Bohan and Charlotte Franklyn were the only two of the 12 defendants to dispute their roles, with Bohan denying the drugs conspiracy charges and Franklyn denying the money laundering charge.
Following a trial, which concluded on 17 June, a jury found Bohan and Franklyn guilty of their respective offences.
Eleven of the defendants returned to Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced this week, with the majority finding out their punishment today (12 November).
They would go on to be sentenced to a combined 84 years in prison.
- Vejay Samuels, 30, of Heatherington Gardens, Top Valley, was jailed for 14 years
- Andrew Mitchell, 54, of Kyle View, Top Valley, was told he’ll spend the next 11 years behind bars
- Joseph Gavin, 30, of Alfreton Road, Radford, was sentenced to 10 years in prison
- Jake Worrall, 30, of Broadwood Road, Bestwood, was jailed for 12 years
- Dale Mitchell, 31, of London Road, Nottingham, received a five year prison sentence
- Sophie Goodwin, 41, of Ruthwell Gardens, Bestwood, was sentenced to seven years behind bars
- Gary Castledine, 59, of Stowe Avenue, West Bridgford, was jailed for eight years
- Francesca Calamiello, 45, of Whitcombe Gardens, Top Valley, received a nine year prison sentence
- Damien Bohan, 44, of Whitcombe Gardens, Top Valley, was sentenced to eight years in jail
- Hannah Cwynar, 33, of Watson Street, Derby, was sentenced to 15 months in prison suspended for two years. She will also have to complete 150 hours of unpaid work
- Charlotte Franklyn, 30, of Eastglade Road, Bestwood, was sentenced to 15 months in prison suspended for two years. She will also have to complete 80 hours of unpaid work
Lyndon Wilson, 38, of Yates Gardens, Top Valley, will remain in custody until his own separate sentencing hearing at the same court on 30 January.
Detective Constable Emma Grimley, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, said:
“This was an organised group that conspired together to distribute large amounts of controlled drugs across the Nottingham area for a lengthy period of time.
“While this was going on, those at the top of the group – namely ringleader Vejay Samuels – lived a life of luxury, using the proceeds raised by their drug dealing.
“Thankfully, and after a lengthy police investigation, those responsible for flooding the streets of Nottingham with Class A and Class B drugs have now been brought to justice.”
Detective Constable Steve Fenyn, of Nottinghamshire Police’s Serious Organised Crime Unit, added:
“This investigation was somewhat challenging because shortly after it began, Vejay Samuels fled the country.
“We had to gather the evidence to prove that he was running his drug dealing enterprise in the UK from Thailand, which we ultimately achieved by dismantling his organisation below him.
“I’m very pleased with today’s outcome at court. Taking Vejay Samuels off the streets makes Nottingham a safer place for all.”