Crime boss, 32, who employed family and friends to flood the streets of London with £3.5m of drugs and guns including AK47s is jailed for 24 years
Published: 22:42, 18 December 2023 | Updated: 22:42, 18 December 2023
A crime[2] boss who employed family and friends to flood the streets of London[3] with GBP3.5million worth of drugs and guns including AK47s was jailed for 24 years.
Ross Payton, 32, from Durham, enlisted his sister Shainie Payton, her boyfriend Darren Goodge, his uncle Lee Souter, his cousin Jamie Dennison and associate Reece Mort to supply Class A drugs and firearms.
A 15-month sting undercover operation by the Met's[4] Specialist Crime Command now resulted in the conviction of 22 people including Payton, with officers seizing 200kg of drugs as well as several firearms, ammunition and cash.
Payton and the others travelled across London, the Home Counties and Scotland, transporting drugs, firearms and cash using a fleet of vehicles containing sophisticated hides, according to a Met Police statement.
The head of the gang, Payton, has now been sentenced to 24 years for conspiracy to supply class A and B drugs, conspiracy to acquire/use/possess criminal property, and conspiracy to sell/transfer firearms/ammunition.
Ross Payton (pictured), 32, from Durham, enlisted his sister Shainie Payton, her boyfriend Darren Goodge, his uncle Lee Souter, his cousin Jamie Dennison and associate Reece Mort to supply Class A drugs and firearms
Pictured are drugs that were seized by the Met Police from Lee Souter
Shainie Payton and Darren Goodge have been jailed for 13 years and six months and for 10 years respectively
Detective Inspector Nikki Owen, from the Met's Specialist Crime Command Proactive team, who led the investigation said: 'The conviction of these individuals will have a significant impact on drugs supply in London and the UK as a whole.
'Officers worked hard over a protracted period to ensure that this criminal gang was stopped.
'I am incredibly proud of their efforts to bring these individuals to justice. London is undoubtedly safer because of the team work, dedication and commitment of the Met.
'Alongside significant seizures of class A and B drugs, firearms, cash and assets, the investigation team identified and safeguarded a number of vulnerable people who had been exploited by the gang.
'In all, 22 people have now been convicted and sentenced to a combined total of over 160 years.
'I hope that this result offers some reassurance to communities that the Met is determined to robustly deal with high harm offenders, reduce crime and restore trust and confidence.'
Last week, the seven remaining members of the organised crime gang were sentenced to a total of 90 years at Woolwich Crown Court following 15 members of the gang being jailed throughout 2022.
Throughout November 2020 police observed Lee Souter (pictured) and Darren Goodge meeting Malone at the address, where sometimes bags were exchanged
Jailed last week alongside Ross Payton were Shainie Payton for 13 years and six months, Darren Goodge for ten years, Lee Souter for 11 years and six months, Jamie Dennison for seven years and six months, Reece Mort for nine years and Alfie Malone for 14 years.
The police operation began in March 2020 and was designed to dismantle the supply and distribution of Class A drugs around south-east London. A large scale surveillance operation was launched involving a number of individuals and locations.
The initial phase of the investigation identified, investigated, arrested and prosecuted four low-level members of the organised criminal group (OCG) for various drug offences.
Following their arrests, detectives utilised material from their mobile phones, seizures at their home addresses and other intelligence to progress the operation leading to the conviction of the leader of the OCG, his allies and other key individuals.
The first person identified was Alfie Malone in September 2020 and he was placed under surveillance.
In October 2020 he led officers to an address in Beaverbank, SE9 in which officers observed criminal activity.
Pictured is one of the firearms offered for sale by Alfie Malone and Ross Payton
Throughout November 2020 police observed Lee Souter and Darren Goodge meeting Malone at the address, where sometimes bags were exchanged.
As a result of these meetings Goodge and Souter was placed under police surveillance. Subsequently, police carried out a drugs warrant at the New Eltham address.
Class A drugs, money, associated paraphernalia and a live cannabis plants in the loft were recovered and the address was closed down by police.
Over the course of the following five months detectives observed Souter and Goodge travel around London and locations across the country carrying out various meetings and exchanging bags.
On the 19 March 2021 Malone was stopped and arrested in possession of a one-kilo block of cocaine following a meeting with Goodge. Both Goodge and Souter's fingerprints were found on the carrier bag containing the cocaine block.
Evidence indicated that Malone was a customer of Ross Payton's OCG, detectives also discovered he was heavily involved in the supply of drugs in his own right.
Analysis of the mobile phone uncovered links to Shainie Payton, Goodge, Souter, Reece Mort and James Dennison (pictured) including messages involving drugs, images of drugs, money and postcodes being sent for Goodge, Souter and Dennison to attend all around the UK
In the two month period from the end of March to the end of May 2020, he regularly acquired drugs in large quantities - kilo and half kilo blocks - from the OCG for onward supply.
On 27 April 2021, Souter was intercepted by police in Enfield whilst driving a rented van after he had collected 50kg of freshly imported heroin and cocaine which had been concealed in children's toys.
Following this interception, on 28 April 2021 officers arrested Payton at Manchester Airport as he attempted to flee the UK.
A search of Payton's home recovered a mobile phone which forensic analysis revealed messages and pictures linking him to UK-wide drug distribution.
Officers discovered more than 5,000 relevant items linking him to Class A drug distribution into the hundreds of kilos.
Analysis of the mobile phone uncovered links to Shainie Payton, Goodge, Souter, Reece Mort and James Dennison including messages involving drugs, images of drugs, money and postcodes being sent for Goodge, Souter and Dennison to attend all around the UK.
It was also uncovered that Payton and Malone (pictured) were also conspiring for Payton to sell firearms including AK47 assault rifles, Skorpion submachine guns and handguns
Messages found on Payton's phone clearly identified him as the leader of the OCG.
In messages, he gave orders to other members to make exchanges, telling them to acquire new equipment such as cash counters and vacuum machines, admonished them for mistakes and discussed the quality of the drugs being passed.
Detectives recovered Telegram messages from Payton which showed in the period between the 14 December 2020 and 8 April 2021 he had organised the distribution of 115 kilos of class A drugs, which would equate to around GBP3,450,000 in wholesale value.
The accounts kept by the OCG show transactions well into the millions of pounds and the observation evidence showing that the network was operating from the south-east of London to as far as Scotland.
It was also uncovered that Payton and Malone were also conspiring for Payton to sell firearms including AK47 assault rifles, Skorpion submachine guns and handguns.
On 11 May 2021 Shainie Payton and Goodge were arrested for being concerned in Class A drug supply.
Officers found an electronic hide in the boot of their car which contained cannabis.
On May 14, 2021, Mort (pictured) was arrested in Harlow.
In his possession was a handset which, although now holding a different SIM, had previously held the phone number used to communicate with his co-conspirators
During a search of their home, cocaine was recovered together with scales from the loft area and packaging containing traces of cocaine and cannabis.
On the same day, Dennison was also arrested in Harlow. Cannabis was discovered inside a sophisticated electronic hide in the vehicle's floor. Further forensic analysis uncovered Souter's fingerprint inside the hide of the vehicle.
On May 14, 2021, Mort was arrested in Harlow.
In his possession was a handset which, although now holding a different SIM, had previously held the phone number used to communicate with his co-conspirators.
Officers found Telegram messages exchanged between Payton and Mort from April 2021 regarding the delivery of cocaine.
There were numerous messages around that same time sourced from other conspirators' phones that refer to Mort's drug exchanges and involvement in counting money.
During the investigation, three vulnerable people were identified as being victims of exploitation by the gang to allow their premises to be used to store and bag up drugs.
Officers worked with various local authorities so that these three were found alternative housing and given support.