By Eric King-
Five Leeds-based ‘county lines’ drug dealers who targeted Yorkshire addicts are facing jail after being convicted of supplying cocaine and heroin. Four men and one woman from Leeds were convicted of being involved in the sale of cocaine and heroin to addicts based in Scarborough. Some of the cocaine and heroin were mixed with deadly fentanyl. A sixth man was acquitted at Leeds Crown Court.
The drug dealing gang were caught after North Yorkshire Police stopped a Vauxhall Astra in Scarborough in June 2017 . Cops were tipped off by members of the public. The car, with driver Anthony Cleary and passenger Daniel Squires, was searched and 28 wraps of heroin, 30 wraps of cocaine and £290 in cash were found.
Their arrests led to cops catching other suspects involved in the supply network including ringleader, Liam Ayres, his girlfriend at the time, Tammy Cleary, and Ethan Jake Bodally. A search of a flat in Scarborough rented by Ayres uncovered more evidence of drug dealing including a list of local addicts, weighing scales and bags. The court heard how Cleary had earned more than £10,000 from the proceeds of drug dealing over a period of four months.
AD: Capeesh Restaurant
Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has the same effect as heroin, but it is much stronger than natural heroin and much easier to overdose on. Liam Peter Ayres, 33, of Monkswood Avenue, Seacroft, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin in May 2019.
Tamela Louise Cleary, 27, of Monkswood Avenue, Seacroft, was found guilty by jury at York Crown Court on June 26 of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property – the money earned through drug dealing. Anthony Cleary, 26, of Naburn Road, Whinmoor, Leeds, was also found guilty by jury on June 26 of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property
Five Leeds drug dealers convicted after targeting Yorkshire addicts in County Lines operation
Picture clockwise (from top left): Liam Ayres, Ethan Bodally, Daniel Squires and Anthony Cleary.
AD: Oysterian Sea Food Restaurant And Bar
North Yorkshire Police stopped a Vauxhall Astra in Scarborough in June 2017 after reports it was involved in drug dealing in the town.
The car, with driver Anthony Cleary and passenger Daniel Squires, was searched and 28 wraps of heroin, 30 wraps of cocaine and £290 in cash were found.
That led officers to uncover other suspects involved in the supply network including ringleader, Liam Ayres, his girlfriend at the time, Tammy Cleary, and Ethan Jake Bodally.
A search of a flat in Scarborough rented by Ayres uncovered more evidence of drug dealing including a list of local addicts, weighing scales and bags.
Cleary was also found to have banked more than £10,000 from the proceeds of drug dealing over a period of four months. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that has the same effect as heroin, but it is much stronger than natural heroin and much easier to overdose on.
Liam Peter Ayres, 33, of Monkswood Avenue, Seacroft, pleaded guilty to two counts of conspiracy to supply cocaine and heroin in May 2019.
Tamela Louise Cleary, 27, of Monkswood Avenue, Seacroft, was found guilty by jury at York Crown Court on June 26 of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property – the money earned through drug dealing. Anthony Cleary, 26, of Naburn Road, Whinmoor, Leeds, was also found guilty by jury on June 26 of conspiracy to supply class A drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Ethan Jake Bodally, 20, of Stanks Drive, Seacroft, pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial to conspiracy to supply class a drugs and conspiracy to conceal criminal property.
Daniel Squires, 28, of Hyde Park Road, Leeds, pleaded guilty in 2018 to two counts of conspiracy to supply class A drugs.All offenders, with the exception of Liam Ayres who was given court bail, have been remanded into prison custody and all five will be sentenced at a later date..
Detective Constable James Temple of Scarborough CID, said: “So-called county lines drug dealing continues to be a priority for North Yorkshire Police and we will actively target the people at the centre of this problem.
“The gang targeted local drug addicts, many of whom are vulnerable due to their addiction and to compound the risks to them, some of the drugs were a potential deadly mix of heroin and fentanyl.
-> Trio jailed for more than 50 years after violence linked to ‘county lines’ drug dealing in Harrogate
“We urge members of the public to continue to report information about suspected drug dealing in their neighbourhood, either to us or anonymously to the charity, Crimestoppers.
“No matter how small you believe that piece of information is, it could be a vital piece of the bigger picture.
“As you can see from this case, and many others we have brought to the courts, we will take action.”
AD: Heritage And Restaurant Lounge Bar