‘Arrogant’ gun-toting Nottingham gang members locked up for more than 50 years
Four members of a violent, gun-toting gang of drug dealers who obnoxiously flaunted their wealth in music videos have been locked up for a combined total of more than 50 years. They were convicted after a re-trial at Nottingham Crown Court, which began on in October, and were finally sentenced on Tuesday, November 28. The gang, which sold vast quantities of cocaine, crack cocaine, and heroin on the streets of Nottingham, Mansfield[1], Kirkby and Sutton-in-Ashfield, came to the attention of police[2] after a series of shooting incidents in late 2018 and early 2019.
Police say they were finally brought down by a combination of their ‘own arrogance’ and covert police work. In one incident, on 9 May 2019, a member of a rival criminal gang was shot in the neck as gang leader and aspiring rap star Akeem Chand fired multiple shots at his car in a residential street. Between July 2018 and June 2019, the gang made huge sums of money which they flaunted on expensive jewellery, designer clothes, holidays, and the production of music videos, in which they bragged about their fortune – funded by their drug empire.
At one point, in March 2019, several members of the gang flew to Mexico’s Caribbean coast where they stayed in a lavishly appointed private villa and even hired a luxury motor yacht. The gang used a music video to boast about dealing drugs, and wondered aloud how they could count all the money they were making. In August 2021, after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court, six men were convicted by a jury of two charges – conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate.
Each of them had previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to supply Class A and B drugs. They were jailed for a combined total of more than 120 years when they were sentenced in October 2021. On Tuesday, November 28, 28-year-old Jayden Gorewoda, formerly of Tenbury Crescent, Aspley, was jailed for 22 years after he was convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition, and conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
Jason Mility, aged 33, formerly of Longdale Road, Sherwood, was convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition, and conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs. Due to a previous conviction for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, he received a life sentence with a minimum term of 14 years. Damion Martin, aged 41, formerly of Wyton Close, Sherwood, was also convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, possession of ammunition, and conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
He was locked up for 14 years. Zak Charles, who was a child at the time of the offences but is now aged 21, was convicted of conspiracy to supply Class A drugs. Charles, formerly of Bulwell[3], had previously been convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life, conspiracy to possess ammunition without a certificate, and conspiracy to supply Class B drugs, for which he was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years.
For conspiring to supply Class A drugs he was given 18 months to be served consecutively – increasing his total sentence to 10 years. Those previously convicted and sentenced in 2021 were:
- Akeem Chand, aged 29, formerly of Melbourne Road, Aspley – jailed for life with a minimum term of 20 years before he becomes eligible for parole.
- Devante Neufville, aged 26, formerly of no fixed address – jailed for 20 years.
- Orlando Escoffery, aged 28, formerly of Fenton Road, Basford – jailed for 23 years.
- Kiefer Smith, aged 30, formerly of Dallman Close, Hucknall – jailed for 17 years.
- Alexsandro Woolery, aged 29, formerly of Portland Road, Carlton – jailed for 22 years.
- Quarnell Simpson, aged 26, formerly of Nuthall Road, Aspley – jailed for 20 years.
- Ravan Mather-Simpson, aged 27, formerly of Mansfield Road, Sherwood – jailed for 10 years and four months after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to supply Class A and B drugs.
- Sarah Aplin, aged 29, formerly of Wyton Close, Bestwood – had previously admitted to a charge of allowing a premises to be used for the supply of controlled drugs. She was jailed for two years and three months.
Akeem Chand, 27, formerly of Melbourne Road, Aspley. (Image: Nottinghamshire Police)
Detective Superintendent Rich Bull, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “The sentences passed on Tuesday bring a conclusion to what was a very complex police investigation.
I would like to pay tribute to everybody who worked tirelessly on this case and helped to bring these extremely dangerous men to justice. “This was a very successful gang that were making huge sums of money from a wide-spread and sophisticated drug dealing network. Ultimately, however, they were undone by their own arrogance, recklessness, and meticulous police work.
“Here we had a group of young men with almost no discernible legal income between them living the lives of music stars or footballers – spending quite incredible sums on jewellery, holidays, designer clothes, and the other trappings of wealth. “All the more incredible was the fact they made so little effort to spend their money so discreetly – choosing instead to brag on social media posts about just how much of it they were spending. It was, however, their ready use of violence that led to their undoing.
“These men thought nothing of discharging firearms in residential streets, with total disregard for the safety of local residents. Shooting incidents are both incredibly rare and extremely serious, so when they do happen we dedicate whatever resources we deem necessary to catch the people responsible and take their weapons off the streets. “When guns are discharged in the street there is always a reason.
In this case that reason led us very quickly to Chand and his associates, who by that time were effectively boasting openly of their drug dealing and violence online. We knew exactly what they were up to but were still faced with the challenge of getting enough evidence to bring them to justice. “Our subsequent covert investigation unearthed a treasure trove of damning evidence that has ultimately led to the men’s convictions and lengthy sentences.
I hope they send a very clear warning to other criminals about the potential consequences of acquiring and using illegal firearms.”