South Warwickshire man found guilty of being involved in a multi-million-pound conspiracy to supply cocaine across the Midlands

A man and two women who denied being involved in a multi-million-pound conspiracy to supply cocaine across the Midlands have been convicted by a jury.

And Lewis Mowatt has now been remanded in custody while pre-sentence reports are prepared on Stacie Burdett and Caroline Dalley, who were both granted bail.

Mowatt (29) of Spinney Close, Lighthorne Heath; Burdett (34) of Hood Road, Daventry; and Dalley (55) of Sturdee Close, Daventry, had all denied conspiring to supply cocaine.

But at the end of a four-week trial a jury at Warwick Crown Court found all three guilty, and also convicted Burdett of charges of possessing illegal firearms.

With them in the dock was Jordan Swain (28) of Admirals Way, Daventry, who was found guilty to possessing one of the guns which was found to have his fingerprints on it.

The jury heard that Rugby man Christopher Reeve was in charge of directing the distribution and sale of huge quantities of cocaine which led to the seizure of just under £1 million worth of the drugs at a house in Daventry.

But that was just a fraction of the staggering 100-plus kilos, worth up to £3.5 million, which prosecutor Peter Grieves-Smith said had passed through the hands of the drug conspirators.

Several other people, including Reeve (43) of Montgomery Drive, Rugby, said to have been one of two men directing the drugs operation, had pleaded guilty, showing there was a conspiracy.

And Mr Grieves-Smith said: “The conspiracy went on for longer than a year and involved a huge quantity of class A drugs. We say, based on one seizure, more than 100 kilos.

“Everyone of us knows the terrible damage done by people being indebted for drugs, and dealers do it despite knowing the damage done by their trade.

“At the top there are those who have huge amounts, and at the very end of the chain you have those such as addicts who sell the drugs, and there are some in the middle.

“Lewis Mowatt, Stacie Burdett and Caroline Dalley are not addicts, and nor were Christopher Reeve and his wife Sarah, David Burdett and Garvey Thompson.

“They were not addicts selling drugs to feed their addiction, they were in it for the money.

“Drugs were purchased from someone in Liverpool, and a courier would travel up the M6 in the early morning and then drive back to the Rugby area or to Daventry.

“Once they had delivered the consignment it would be divided up by other people, and those couriers would then deliver to other people across the Midlands, to Leamington, Warwick, Coventry and Nottingham.”

In August 2018 Mowatt and Sarah Reeve travelled to Liverpool ‘at the crack of dawn,’ having been told where to go by Christopher Reeve.

Previously Thomas Bash (77) of Wortley Close, Rugby, who has pleaded guilty to conspiracy, had made regular Liverpool trips but was on holiday in Scotland at the time.

“Not long after ten o’clock they were back close to Rugby and were arrested on the A5 with three kilos of cocaine in the boot of their car.”

The cocaine in bulk was worth around £90,000 but by the time it was divided up it would have had a value of about £250,000 – or £400,000 if converted into crack cocaine.

“The prosecution say they intended to go to Sturdee Close in Daventry, the home of Caroline Dalley, who is the mother of Stacie Burdett and the mother-in-law of David Burdett.

“The police carried out a search of Caroline Dalley’s home and found class A drugs worth a little under £1 million, a huge amount of drugs.

“This was a warehouse-type facility being used by those involved in the conspiracy. It was a place where drugs would be hidden and divided up for onward distribution. Like a supermarket distribution system.”

Mr Grieves-Smith said David and Stacie Burdett knew the house had been raided, and within two hours they had moved a camper trailer to a field not far from their canal boat home.

It was found using a police helicopter – and in it were more drugs and ‘a significant quantity of firearms’ which David Burdett has admitted possessing, but which Stacie Burdett denied.

They included a 9mm pistol and silencer, seven revolvers including a Colt and a Smith and Wesson, a pump-action shotgun, and ammunition.

Although it was not suggested Swain was part of the drugs conspiracy, one of the guns had his DNA on it.

Mr Grieves-Smith observed: “Selling drugs is a cut-throat business. They ensure payment by sticking a gun in someone’s face. That is why guns and drugs go together so often.”

Of the drugs conspiracy, he told the jury: “Christopher Reeve lives with Sarah at an address in Rugby. The prosecution say he, together with Garvey Thompson from Birmingham, were at the very top of this conspiracy.

“Sarah Reeve was not at the same level, but was ready and willing to assist when required, and Christopher Reeve and Sarah Reeve were good friends of the Burdetts.”

Thompson was a serving prisoner at the time, but was gave orders via a mobile phone, and was mainly involved with dealers in Leamington, including Tony Wilshire (29) from Bishops Tachbrook, who has also admitted the conspiracy charge.

Of other connections, Mowatt at the time was the partner of Sarah Reeve’s sister and made ‘voluble trips’ to collect and deliver drugs.