Police find 16 wraps of class A drugs in vehicle heading to Harrogate

Police found 16 wraps of what is believed to be class A drugs when they stopped a vehicle heading to Harrogate from West Yorkshire.

Officers also found three mobile phones and £350 of cash.

The driver, a 30-year-old man from West Yorkshire, was arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply a class A-drug but later released while enquiries continue.

North Yorkshire Police revealed the details today in an update on a ‘week of intensification’ into tackling county lines drugs, which refers to organised criminal groups moving and supplying drugs, usually from cities into smaller towns and rural areas.

A police officer ready to conduct a warrant

An operation support unit officer ready to conduct a warrant.

Harrogate’s affluent population is often targeted by dealers in Bradford and Leeds.

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The force said it has arrested 17 people and safeguarded vulnerable people during the week of targeted action, which was part of a national campaign from March 7 to 13.

Police also executed warrants at addresses linked to drugs and carried out several safeguarding visits to help prevent ‘cuckooing’ taking place.

This is when county lines dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person for a short time while they carry out their activities before returning to their town or city.

Police sniffer dogs search for drugs

Police sniffer dogs search for drugs.

Detective Chief Inspector Lorraine Crossman-Smith, who coordinated the week of activity in North Yorkshire, said:

“Whilst we work all year to take drugs off the streets of North Yorkshire this week of intensification has brought some substantial results. By disrupting supply lines and taking those involved out of circulation we can make North Yorkshire’s communities safer.

“We can only do this with the support and information that we get from residents so I would urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their community to call us on 101, we treat every piece of information as important.”

Man arrested after police seize sword, knives and drugs in Harrogate

A man has been arrested after police found bags of drugs, 10 knives and a sword at a house in Harrogate yesterday evening.

Police were called to reports of a man threatening a woman in the Skipton Road area and officers detained a man in his 40s at the scene.

He was arrested and searched, and officers found bags of white powder, which is believed to be cocaine, two knives and a quantity of cash in the suspect’s possession.

This led to a further search of his house in the Skipton Road area of Harrogate, where further items were discovered including:

The items were seized and the suspected drugs have been sent for analysis.

The man was arrested on suspicion of drug, weapon and public order offences and remains in custody today while enquiries continue.

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Man jailed for dealing crack and heroin in Harrogate

A man has been jailed for 20 months for dealing crack cocaine and heroin in Harrogate.

Tyler Walton, 20, from Northallerton, was stopped by officers on January 18 this year in a vehicle on Parliament Street in Harrogate.

Officers found cash and a set of digital scales on Walton so arrested him for possession with intent to supply class A drugs.

Once in custody, officers found 14 wraps of crack cocaine and heroin in his mouth.

Walton appeared in court on Monday and pleaded guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine and heroin. Yesterday, he was sentenced to 20 months in prison at York Crown Court.

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Constable George Frost from Harrogate’s Expedite Team, which tackles county lines drug dealing, said:

“Tyler Walton was actively involved in selling potentially lethal drugs to vulnerable users and preyed on them in order to further his own financial gain.

“I hope that our communities are reassured by the swift police action taken in this case. We will not accept this sort of activity on the streets of Harrogate and North Yorkshire.

“We are continuing our efforts every day to ensure that the vulnerable people who fall victim drug addiction are safeguarded and that the dealers who exploit them are targeted and prosecuted.

“Please can I take this opportunity to encourage members of the public who concerned about drug dealing activity and those affected by it to contact North Yorkshire Police or contact Crimestoppers.”

Four released on bail after Jennyfields drugs raid

Four people have been released on bail after police seized a “large amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs in Jennyfields.

North Yorkshire Police arrested two men and two women on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs and handling stolen goods.

Officers executed a drugs warrant at a property on Newby Crescent in Jennyfields on Wednesday.

In a statement, the force said a “large amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs were seized alongside items officers believed to have been stolen.

A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police added:

“The officers executing the warrant were from the Expedite team, the operational support unit and the neighbourhood policing team.

“A large amount of suspected class A and class B drugs were located at the property alongside items believed to have been stolen.

“Two men and two women were arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs and handling stolen goods. They have been released on bail while the investigation continues.”

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Police seize ‘substantial amount’ of drugs in Jennyfields

North Yorkshire Police seized a “substantial amount” of suspected class A and class B drugs in Jennyfields today.

The force said in a statement that officers executed a drug warrant at an unspecified address in the area and several people are currently in custody.

There has been an increased police presence in Jennyfields since this morning and NYP said officers will continue with patrols to offer reassurance to residents.

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Drug pushers jailed after £140,000 cannabis seizure in Boroughbridge

Two drug pushers who were caught with 14 kilos of cannabis worth £140,000 have been jailed for two years.

Silvio Kondi, 30, and Flamur Saliasi, 45, were travelling in a Mercedes E-Class which was stopped on the A1(M) at Boroughbridge on September 30 last year, York Crown Court heard.

A search of the vehicle revealed a huge cannabis stash with an estimated street value of £140,000 and about £1,300 cash.

Kondi, from Leeds, and Saliasi were charged with possessing a Class B drug with intent to supply.

They admitted the offences but on the basis that they were only couriers. This was rejected by the prosecution at the plea hearing in October and the case was adjourned for a Newton hearing, or trial of issue, today (Tuesday, February 8).

However, the case proceeded straight to sentence after the prosecution and defence counsel agreed that Kondi and Saliasi’s role in the drugs racket was more likely to be “significant” rather than “leading”.

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The prosecution contended that both men had close ties to the “original source” of the supply chain and therefore played a “significant” role.

Annie Richardson, for the Crown, said the Mercedes was stopped in the middle of the afternoon but only for a routine check.

She added: 

“Police found various items including vacuum packs of cannabis, uncounted cash and mobile telephones.”

There were 14 vacuum packs weighing one kilo each. A drug expert estimated the total street value to be £140,000.

Albanian interpreter

The cash found included £1,186 in pounds sterling, just over £111 in Euros and small amounts of Macedonian, Albanian and Czech currency. 

The two men were hauled in for questioning but refused to answer police questions. They appeared for sentence on Tuesday accompanied by an Albanian interpreter. 

Robert Mochrie, for Kondi, asked the judge to take account of his client’s timely guilty plea.

Kelleigh Lodge, for Saliasi, said her client had only arrived in the UK last year – just months before his arrest. 

Since then, his wife had returned to their native Albania and Saliasi was “extremely keen” to join her once he had been released from prison.

Ms Lodge said Saliasi had already signed forms with immigration authorities for his deportation.

Kondi, of Tong Road, and Saliasi, of no fixed address, were each jailed for two years. They will serve half of that sentence behind bars before being released on prison licence. 

E-scooter rider in Harrogate arrested for suspected drug dealing

Police arrested a man on an e-scooter in Harrogate this week on suspicion of dealing cannabis and ketamine.

According to North Yorkshire Police, the man failed to stop when asked by officers on Monday night.

Two officers found drugs after catching up with the man, who was then arrested on suspicion of possession with intent to supply class A and class B drugs.

A police statement today added:

“Once in custody, tests showed him to be under the influence of drugs, so he was further arrested for a further offence of driving whilst under the influence.

“He’s now been released on conditional bail whilst enquiries continue.”

E-scooters are similar to regular scooters but have small, electric motors.

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Harrogate guest house owner was ‘facilitator’ in £500k cannabis racket

A Harrogate woman who played the role of “facilitator” in a half-a-million-pound cannabis racket will have her accounts scrutinised before a financial-confiscation hearing to determine how much she pays back.

Yoko Banks, 73, a former guest-house owner, rented out her properties to an Albanian drug gang for “industrial” cannabis production “in the expectation of significant profit”, Leeds Crown Court heard. 

The disgraced pensioner was jailed for three-and-a-half years in August last year after she admitted three counts of being concerned in the production of cannabis. 

Her six co-conspirators, Visar Sellaj, 33, Kujtim Brahaj, 50, Indrit Brahaj, 27, Bledar Elezaj, 36, Andi Kokaj, 23, and 31-year-old Erblin Elezaj, an illegal immigrant, were jailed for a combined 22 years for various offences including drug supply and production of the highly potent skunk cannabis.

‘Complicated property empire’

Banks, who owns a string of “highly marketable” properties in some of Harrogate’s most desirable areas, now faces financial punishment under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA), which will determine how much she has to pay back for her part in the drug plot worth at least half a million. 

She was back in court today via video link from New Hall women’s prison in Wakefield.

Prosecutor Michael Bosomworth said the Crown was not yet in a position to make a financial confiscation ruling because Banks’ defence team needed more time to delve into her “complicated” accounts and extensive “property empire”.

He added:

“It’s a somewhat complicated property empire and there’s going to be some time (needed) to prepare it.”

He said that Banks’ solicitors were hiring a forensic accountant to pore over her properties and assets.

Yoko Banks was jailed at Leeds Crown Court last year. Picture: the Stray Ferret.

Banks’ defence counsel confirmed that a forensic accountant had been instructed to scrutinise her accounts and the “considerable amount” of properties and other assets” she owned. 

Judge Neil Clark granted the defence an extra eight weeks to carry out an intensive audit of Banks’ assets.

She and her co-defendants will be back in court on Monday via video link when new dates will be set for the POCA hearings.

London gang invested in Banks’ properties

At the sentence hearing in August, the court heard that the “professional”, London-based gang had invested tens of thousands of pounds into three cannabis factories at Banks’s properties on Alexandra Road, Woodlands Road and Somerset Road near Harrogate town centre.

The criminals had even dug a trench outside the three-storey Edwardian villa on Alexandra Road through which they fed electricity cables to the house to power the “highly sophisticated” cultivation system and bypass the electricity grid.

Their plot finally unravelled when police were called to the five-bedroom villa on September 26 last year after reports of a “disturbance” in the street involving what appeared to be two rival gangs vying for the lucrative cannabis farm.

Officers found 283 plants in four growing rooms inside the mock-Tudor house, which was fitted with CCTV cameras.  Chillingly, they also found a “large” crossbow and arrows next to the front door. The plants had a potential yield of up to 21 kilos.  

Mr Bosomworth said the “organised” gang had operated the lighting, electrical and “security” systems remotely through broadband technology and were even able to watch a “live feed” of the drugs bust over the internet.

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There were other large grows at two of Banks’s other properties, which had the “capability of producing industrial amounts” of skunk. 

She had rented the properties to the Albanians through an “unidentified individual who goes by the name of Francesco”, who sub-let the houses to the gang’s ringleader Sellaj.

Before the drug raid, the gang had fled in a Transit van and an Audi which were “trapped” on the M1 by police in Hertfordshire and finally stopped on the M25 just after midnight.

Police found 30kg of “saleable”, harvested cannabis plants inside the van worth about £300,000.

Inside the £26,000 Audi SQ5, which belonged to Sellaj, police found £3,675 in cash and an 18-carat-gold Rolex watch worth £28,000.

As well as the 283 plants at the Alexandra Road factory, there were also 143 “root balls” from previous harvests and 6kg of cannabis flower buds. The “industrial” operation would have yielded between 11kg and 33 kilos worth up to £330,000. 

Fifty-nine cannabis plants, worth up to £83,000, were found at Banks’s Somerset Road property and 86 plants, with a “bulk value” of up to £62,000, were discovered at the house on Woodlands Road. 

The total potential yield of the 395 plants was 45 kilos, with a combined value of up to £456,000. This was in addition to the 30 kilos found in the van and did not include previous harvests.

Banks played ‘facilitating role’

Although Banks was not involved in the cultivation, she had played a “facilitating” or advisory role in the plot. She was in “regular communication” with ‘Francesco’ and Sellaj through Whatsapp messages and was constantly “pressing to be paid by them”.

Banks -—who had previous convictions for health-and-safety offences through her work — was due to be paid at least £12,000 a month in rent for the three properties and was also receiving “high” deposits.  

Her defence team claimed she had let out the properties to “supplement” her weekly pension due to financial pressures. 

It’s understood that Banks had been planning to appeal her conviction but had since abandoned the idea.

Harrogate drug dealer jailed for supplying heroin and cocaine

A Harrogate heroin and cocaine dealer has been jailed for seven-and-a-half years.

Mark Richard Bowden, 47, was sentenced at York Crown Court today after pleading guilty to seven drug supply offences earlier this month.

North Yorkshire Police’s Operation Expedite County Lines Team watched Bowden sell heroin from his car near his home address on Cheltenham Crescent on December 20 last year.

Bowden, who has numerous previous convictions for dealing Class A drugs, was arrested the following day and a year-long investigation began.

Police searched his home and found heroin and cash worth more than £1,500.

Despite the ongoing investigation, Bowden was arrested again on November 30 this year. Officers found heroin, cocaine and cash again worth around £1,500.

Bowden was also told by York Crown Court to hand back £1,500 which is believed to be from the sale of heroin on the streets of Harrogate.

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PC Michael Haydock, who led the Operation Expedite County Lines Team investigation, said:

“The criminal actions of Bowden and other drug dealers like him are truly deplorable.

“Motivated only by greed to make cash through the exploitation of often young and vulnerable drug-users, they think they can operate without impunity or just receive a ‘slap on the wrist’ from the authorities if caught.

“Well, for Bowden, he can now think again. This substantial custodial sentence will hopefully hit him with an equally substantial dose of reality of the repercussions of dealing Class A drugs in our neighbourhoods.

“We will not tolerate it and will act on any information or intelligence about such activity to tackle the scourge of drugs, which can cause so much harm to individuals and to communities as a whole.”

Harrogate councillor calls for campaign to make class A drugs ‘shameful’

A fresh education campaign, with a similar message to the anti drink-driving stance embedded in the 1970s, is needed to teach children that taking class A drugs is “shameful”, a meeting has heard.

North Yorkshire has seen a significant rise in complex child death cases, such as drug-related ones over 2020/21 and analysis is being undertaken to examine why.

In a report to a meeting of North Yorkshire County Council’s young people scrutiny committee, the Child Death Overview Panel chair Anita Dobson said over the last year the panel was “mindful of an increase in drug-related deaths”.

She said it was thought the rise “may well be an indication of reduced mental wellbeing amongst young people, for which coronavirus could be a contributing factor” and that the panel would monitor the situation closely.

The concerns follow pledges by North Yorkshire and York’s past and present police, fire and crime commissioners to prioritise tackling county lines drug dealing gangs, which often target children, particularly in Harrogate and Scarborough.

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Councillors were told there had already been “a lot of work in educating children and young people directly” as well as parents and carers, to ensure people were aware of the risks of taking class A drugs.

Harrogate Central councillor John Mann told the meeting as well as tackling the supply of class A drugs, efforts to reduce demand for them were needed as “without the demand there would be no supply”.

He suggested an education drive, using a similar antisocial message to the 1970s drink-driving campaign, was required.

Cllr Mann said:

“As a local authority and as a country we need to try to reduce the demand and make it shameful to take class A drugs because we all have wider responsibilities as citizens.”

‘Complex situation’

After the meeting, the authority’s children’s services executive member, Cllr Janet Sanderson, said she agreed with making taking class A drugs socially unacceptable.

She said:

“We have to get the view of the young people out on the streets who are being tempted by these things and probably deal with an innovative approach to tackle it.

“In the 1970s it was normal to drink-drive. And then all of a sudden if you drove at 32mph in a 30mph area they stopped you and breathalysed you and it stopped it overnight.

“However, I can’t see that is going to be a straight lift and shift scenario with drugs because you can see people driving on the road, but drugs are more covert.

“With county lines we are looking at the people who are often selling the drugs also being the victims. It’s a hugely complex situation. We have got some good people working on this and some innovative ideas, but it is not going to be one single solution like naming and shaming.”