Nine people who played a role in a violent turf war between two drugs gangs in Nottingham have been jailed for more than 85 years between them.
In a battle for control over the supply of drugs into The Meadows area, gang leader Tremayne McKenzie pointed a gun in Mickledon Close having cornered a rival gang member Paula Usherwood and pulled the trigger.
However, the self-loading pistol failed to discharge and Usherwood escaped with her life.
Jurors heard the late-night ambush in Mickledon Close took place minutes after Usherwood had participated in the murder of someone known to McKenzie in a nearby street.
Eleven people, including Usherwood, were sentenced to more than 270 years in prison between them last year for the murder, which took place in Wilford Crescent West shortly after 10.20pm on 10 November 2021.
This latest trial – the second arising from the police investigation into the events of that night, called Operation Haversack – focused on how McKenzie and his associates responded to the fatal ambush and the linked conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Outlining the case at Nottingham Crown Court, prosecutors said the drugs baron at the centre of both the conspiracy to supply drugs – namely heroin and crack cocaine – and the conspiracies in relation to the possession of lethal weapons – including the pistol and at least one knife – was McKenzie, who was seeking to win back control of the local drugs trade following his release from prison.
Lead prosecutor Christopher Donnellan KC said: “The evidence of how Tremayne McKenzie operated, ably supported by the others charged, to gain control of the lucrative drug dealing business in The Meadows area came to a brutal head on 10 November 2021.
“A violent exchange at a pre-arranged meeting – or a set up – between members of rival organised crime gangs took place in Wilford Crescent West. This left one man dead, Michael Anton O’Connor. He was sent to the meeting by, and in place of, Tremayne McKenzie.
“When McKenzie lost contact with O’Connor, he and his group may not have known at that point that O’Connor had been killed, but they knew something must have happened to him and went looking for the other side.
“They were prepared for a serious confrontation and their purpose was to confront, attack, and given what had just happened, it also became a retaliation. They had a gun and ammunition, and those convicted must have known that life would be endangered, and they had at least one knife.
“Within minutes they were tracking down and cornering one of those who participated in what we know was a murder. Tremayne McKenzie was caught on CCTV pointing a gun at that person, Paula Usherwood, and then fiddling with the gun because it had either misfired or jammed, and in his efforts to get the gun to fire, it ejected a cartridge to the ground.”
The court heard that, in order to be ready for such a swift reaction, McKenzie needed the weapon ready in advance, with jurors shown CCTV footage of the gang leader and his associates before, during and after the confrontation with Usherwood.
These defendants denied conspiring to possess a firearm, ammunition and knife or knives with intent to endanger life, insisting they had not been correctly identified in some of the CCTV footage.
However, expert imager analyses taken together with other pieces of evidence presented to jurors over many weeks of evidence led to guilty verdicts last month (August 2024).
The defendants were sentenced on Friday (20 September) at Nottingham Crown Court, with those convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs also learning their fate after a substantial amount of evidence was gathered by the police investigation team, including analysis of communications data and CCTV footage.
The sentencings included:
Tremayne McKenzie, aged 32, formerly of Barent Walk, Bestwood, Nottingham
Pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Found guilty at trial: Conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to possess ammunition without a firearm certificate, conspiracy to have a bladed article in a public place.
Total sentence: 20 years and 3 months imprisonment with a 5 year extended licence.
Jeziekel Dennis, aged 21, of Lightwood Road, Buxton
Found guilty at trial: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to possess ammunition without a firearm certificate, conspiracy to have a bladed article in a public place.
Total sentence: 10 years in prison. He must serve half of his sentence before he’s eligible for release.
Jimmy Reeves, aged 49, formerly of Bernard Street, Sherwood, Nottingham
Found guilty at trial: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Total sentence: 12 years in prison. He must serve half of his sentence before he’s eligible for release.
Melissa Lynn, aged 34, of Scrivelsby Gardens, Chilwell, Nottingham
Found guilty at trial: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs and possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply.
Total sentence: 8 years in prison. She must serve half of her sentence before she’s eligible for release.
Kishan Vyas, aged 29, formerly of Lammas Gardens, The Meadows, Nottingham
Pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Total sentence: 9 years and 2 months in prison. He must serve half of his sentence before he’s eligible for release.
Elkedee Watson, aged 34, of McGregor Close, Birmingham
Pleaded guilty to: Conspiracy to supply Class A drugs.
Total sentence: 4 years and 5 months in prison. She must serve half of this sentence before she’s eligible for release.
Three other people involved in the criminal activity were also sentenced to a combined total imprisonment of 21 years and 11 months. Their identities are not to be reported for legal reasons, by order of the Judge.
In passing the sentences, the trial judge, Judge James Sampson said. “Class A drugs cause crime, they blight communities, they wreck families, and they destroy individuals, as this sorry tale illustrates.
“McKenzie, it was inevitable that you and your gang would come into violent conflict with other groups dealing Class A drugs in The Meadows. You were willing to use a live firearm to further your cause.
“I’m sure the McKenzie group were prepared to use violence and intimidation to establish themselves as drug dealers in The Meadows.
“Your activities antagonised your rivals, which culminated in the tragic death of Michael Anton O’Connor.
“After gathering your troops, you went out looking for your rivals. All were knowingly in possession of a loaded pistol that was capable of being fired.
“McKenzie, it was highly foreseeable that a stray bullet could have entered a house or hit a passerby but you did not care.”
A tenth member of the group, James Dore, was previously found guilty of conspiring to supply Class A drugs.
Dore, aged 28, of Hucknall Road, Carrington, Nottingham, is due to be sentenced at Nottingham Crown Court on Monday 30 September 2024.
Following Friday’s sentencings, Detective Sergeant Steve Eley, of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “The events of that night revealed the brutality that two gangs were prepared to use against each other when one gang moved in to take over the drug dealing territory in The Meadows area of Nottingham.
“I hope this case shows how serious it can be to get involved in the supply of drugs. It can lead to a cycle of violence which ultimately, as in this case, can result in a person losing their life and others spending a significant portion of theirs behind bars.
“Indeed, prior to this second Operation Haversack trial, 11 defendants from last year’s trial were jailed for more than 270 years. These related sentencings add to that hefty total and there can be no stronger message to those seeking to profit from dealing drugs.
“By dismantling these drug gangs, we’ve put an end to the harm they were bringing to The Meadows area and further afield. The volume of drugs these defendants were involved in should not be underestimated, and their contribution to serious harm and violence, which is inextricably linked to the drugs trade, is undeniable.
“Operation Haversack has been a relentless penetration of organised crime groups in Nottingham, which coupled with the wider drug supply element of this investigation, known as Operation Majestic, has required hours and hours of work from a multitude of different policing teams, including the Serious and Organised Crime Unit (SOC).
“This was very much a joint effort in every sense, but I would like to thank my dedicated team of officers and staff from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, who worked tirelessly on this investigation in order to build a compelling and cogent case.
“I’d also like to personally thank members of the jury who, for many weeks, listened to the evidence surrounding this complex case, as well as our colleagues within the Crown Prosecution Service and prosecuting counsel for the manner in which the case has been prepared and delivered at trial.
“I hope the manner in which this case was built will reassure the public that the police service will act quickly and robustly to bring violent criminals to justice.”
