Leeds businessman helped to sell 224kg of cocaine in major gang plot worth up to £10 million

Christopher Deering was given a six-year sentence last year after being caught with 30kg of a high-purity cocaine separated into 1kg packages.

But following an in-depth police operation, in which police were able to painstakingly decode encrypted software found on the 42-year-old’s phone, they found him to be a “middle manager” of a huge drug-supply chain.

Prosecuting the case at Leeds Crown Court, Jonathan Sharp said Deering was in close contact with another, unknown member of the gang higher up the chain whom he called ‘H’.

He said that H was close to the importation of the drug and they were involved in wholesale, selling the drug in 1kg packages for between £37,000 and £45,000 each. Deering made arrangements for delivery, recruited couriers, communicated daily with buyers and set up meeting places. He also sometimes acted as a courier himself, which led to him being jailed last year when his van, parked outside an address in Tingley, was found to contain 28kg of cocaine, with another 2kg found at his home.

Messages between Deering and H ascertained there were two periods of frantic drug-selling activity in April 2020 and May and June 2021. The first saw 42 kg of cocaine being sold to 10 separate customers, the second involved 12 customers and a massive 182kg of the drug. Mr Sharp said the value of the cocaine involved in those two periods was worth at least £8.2 million. With the price of cocaine soaring during Covid lockdown, it could have exceeded £10 million. There was also evidence that Deering had wanted to set up a huge cannabis farm, and discussed it with H, telling him he had two buildings that could house 1,000 plants and he would import seeds from California.

Deering said they would have a “six-month window” to avoid detection because the police would be too busy enforcing the lockdown rules. However, there was no evidence the cannabis farm was ever set up.

Deering, of Georgian Square, Rodley, admitted conspiracy to supply Class A and Class B drugs. Having worked for a reprographics firm, he then set up his own business, but got into serious financial difficulties due to the pandemic and became involved in the illegal operation. He also had an addiction to cocaine. Mitigating, Bernice Campbell said his wife and family still stand by him, and that Covid “completely crippled” his business.

"It had a domino effect,” she added. “He could not continue with his work during Covid and so his head was turned. He tried several times to stop what he was doing. When hooked into this kind of role, getting out can be a very difficult thing to do indeed.”

The judge, Recorder Keir Monteith KC, jailed him for another four years, taking his total up to 10 years. He told him: “You performed a significant role, but you also acted as a courier. The figures in the amount of cocaine in this case were very high. You have expressed genuine remorse, whatever you are able to do after this it will be difficult to regain your good name.”